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St Mark’s Church, in Mayfair |
‘HAMMER’ BLOW TO ST MARK’S CAMPAIGN
Battle lines drawn between the diocese and Lady Sainsbury
THE Diocese of London has ended months of speculation by giving its public backing to the controversial developer who wants to turn Grade I-listed St Mark’s Church into a health centre.
The Archdeacon of Charing Cross, Dr William Jacob, has written to Lady Sainsbury – who led the campaign to save the Mayfair church from the clutches of developer George Hammer – to tell her the diocese intends to lease the building to Mr Hammer with immediate effect.
He echoed the developer’s claims that the Save St Mark’s Campaign has done anything but “save” the church, highlighting the alarming state of decay ravaging the historic building.
But with the ink barely dry on the letter, Lady Sainsbury, herself a committed Christian, has hit back, reminding the Archdeacon of the binding covenant that the building be “consecrated to Ecclesiastical purposes for ever”.
In a letter to Dr Jacob, she also criticised the diocese and Mr Hammer for allowing the building in North Audley Street to deteriorate, asking why he had done nothing to “arrest it”.
The Archdeacon’s letter, seen by the West End Extra, comes as a blow to the supermarket heiress and her campaign, which had hoped the diocese would sever links with Mr Hammer and listen to bids from other church congregations in the wake of the council’s decision to throw out the original plans for a holistic “Wellness Centre”.
Dr Jacob said that all the Save St Mark’s group had done was “to halt a viable attempt to save it”, that the diocese no longer had any “practical use” for the building and that there were more “deserving parishes”.
Mr Hammer, who lives in the vicarage next door, now has the green light to appeal last December’s decision and set to work on the £6million restoration.
The Archdeacon wrote: “The unfortunate irony of the so-called ‘Save St Mark’s’ campaign is that its main consequence so far has been to halt a viable attempt to save it.
“The Commonwealth Church had a lease until the year 2000 and undertook to carry out essential repairs as part of their lease. The sad fact is that these repairs were not adequately carried out.
“The leasing of St Mark’s gives us the opportunity to free up and divert resources to where they are truly needed now.
“How can we justify to other, much more-deserving parishes, the need to resuscitate a redundant church in Mayfair?
“George Hammer’s proposals for the church would involve millions of pounds being spent on the restoration of the building, naturally adhering to all the necessary planning and heritage requirements. This is how St Mark’s can be saved.”
In reply, the wife of former Conservative minister Sir Tim Sainsbury wrote: “On February 7, 1824, the Gros- venor family conveyed the land on which the church now stands to the Church Commissioners on the basis that it should be devoted when consecrated to Ecclesiastical purposes for ever. The proposal of the London Diocesan Fund to allow this church to be used as a health spa is a deliberate and premeditated decision to breach this wonderful old covenant.
The blame for the decline of the church over the past three months is laid at the feet of Mr Hammer, says Lady Sainsbury.
She wrote: “The Commonwealth Christian Fellowship (CCF), who occupied the church for 14 years, installed a new heating system and carried out constant running repairs. Whenever I visited the church, the interior was immaculate.
“In October 2008, the CCF left the church, albeit reluctantly, in pursuance of a request by the LDF. It was no surprise that, removed of heating and the ongoing repairs, the church’s deterioration increased rapidly.”
Referring to exclusive pictures that appeared in the West End Extra last month, Lady Sainsbury added: “Indeed, Mr Hammer, to whom you have given a key, has shown the press inside the church building to see this deterioration whilst doing nothing himself to arrest it.”
She then called on the diocese to reconsider their position, asking them to listen to offers from the church group Holy Trinity Brompton (HTB).
Lady Sainsbury added: “The Bishop of London has spoken publicly of his intention not to close churches. I and my colleagues believe that this church can be used ‘Ecclesiastical purposes for ever’.We believe that if you open a dialogue with HTB, they will recreate a vibrant church where once General Eisenhower worshipped serving both the local and wider communities.
“This is how St Mark’s can be saved.” |
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