Category Archives: Buildings

St. Mark’s Church building

St Marks Church and church room

1910 OS map

According to Eric Montague, in his Mitcham Histories: 7 The Upper or Fair Green, page 111:

the church was designed by Robert Masters Chart in a style of approximately 13th century … built by Stewart and Sons of Croydon

Dates (also from Montague)
February 1898 – foundation stone laid
1899 – nave and aisles finished
January 1901 – consecrated
1910 – chancel, north transept and south chapel added

The district of St Mark, which covered most of the electoral east ward, was previously part of the parish of SS Peter & Paul, Church Road. It became its own parish in 1905.

It is part of the diocese of Southwark, whose website says:

The church is built of soft red brick with Bath stone dressings and red/orange machine-made, plain clay tiles. There is a copper covered fleche with bell.

The copper at the base of the pointed spire (or ‘fleche’) has become green due to weathering.

Why Mrs Wood was last to leave Majestic Cinema

From the Mitcham News & Mercury, 1st December, 1961

PROJECTORS whirred to a stop and the audience filed out of the Majestic Cinema for the last time on Saturday evening.

But Mrs. G. Wood, Carew Road, Mitcham, waited until the cinema was empty before she walked out. She had been the first person in Mitcham’s only
cinema house 27 years ago and she intended to be the last one out.

Mrs. Wood’s husband, George, had intended to be with her at the last performance but other commitments kept him away. Both had attended the first film on the opening night and enjoyed numerous films there for 25 years.

I’ve never played bingo and I don’t think I will,” added Mr.
Wood