City of Khaki

06/12/1914

Information

Today men from the 5th Essex Regiment, the East Anglians, the Norfolk & Suffolk Army Service Corps, the Norfolk Regiment and the East Anglian Field Ambulance attended a church service in St John's. With over 3,000 troops in winter training quarters locally, many people commented that Peterborough had become a 'city of khaki'. (Bull, J & V., Perry, S. and Sturgess, R., Peterborough - a third portrait in old picture postcards, S.B. Publications, 1990)

Taken from The Peterborough Book of Days by Brian Jones, The History Press, 2014.

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St Mark's Supportive Hankey

1857

Information

St Mark's Church on Lincoln Road owes its existence to the arrival of the railways. The huge influx of railway workers and their families were provided with housing by the railway companies and churches were built for each new area. St Mark's was consecrated on 26th September 1856 and completed in 1857 thanks to a £25 donation by local M.P. Mr T. Hankey.

There was a ceremony to lay the first stone of the church in 1855. All the local dignitaries and school children gathered in Peterborough Cathedral to sing and listen to sermons before walking to the church. A total of £107 was raised by the congregation to pay for the building work.

The first foundation stone was placed in the ground with several commemorative items. These included a glass bottle with current currency and a role of parchment naming the dignitaries and architect connected to the building. Several tools were deposited which related to the Freemasons, who we may assume, were instrumental in raising money for the building and/or construction of the building.

The first vicar of St. Mark's was Rev. C. Camp/e who caused quite a commotion once by fainting during a sermon. The organ was installed in 1858 and was built by Messrs. Bryceson and Son, of London.

In 1957, to mark the centenary of the church, a new hall was added to the building.

Photo credit: St Mark's Church, Lincoln Road, Peterborough