St. Mark’s: The heritage-listed St John’s Wood Church was destroyed in a devastating fire

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“We are still here for the community,” said the defiant pastor of the historic London church that was completely destroyed in a “heartbreaking fire” on Friday.

Plumes of smoke were seen for miles around St. Mark’s in St. John’s Wood “completely destroyed” in Hell.

Videos on social media showed the destruction in the tower and flames bursting from the windows as the fire broke out at 11.19pm on Thursday.

MP Kate Harrison, who assumed the presidency of Congregation of St Mark’s in 2015, told the Standard she was evacuated from her home in the presbytery and watched helplessly as the flames spread.

St Mark’s: Heritage-listed St John’s Wood Church destroyed in devastating fire Read more

She said: “The firefighters were absolutely amazing and worked so hard. I was really impressed with the amount of effort they put into this building, they were so kind and wonderful.”

“I’m so sad,” she said, crying, “This building has served the Christian community for 175 years, it’s our base where we’ve been reaching out, helping people, loving people.”

“She is a wonderful beacon of hope and to see her suffer in crushing devastation is absolutely heartbreaking.

But it is a building, not a church. The Church is the people and our work will continue, and our love will continue.

Firefighters treat a fire at St Mark’s Church in Hamilton Terrace, St John’s Wood, London,

/ PA

“We are still here for the region.”

One witness described watching the flames rise “before the roof collapsed”.

Shahib Shah, 21, told the Standard: “I saw a lot of smoke covering the street, orange light in the sky, and emergency services around.

“I could see a building burning. Every few minutes, the flames would get a little bigger as the smoke billowed. There was another spectator standing next to me and he said ‘It’s like Grenfell all over again.'”

The church before the fire

Shahib Shah

He added, “Because of my faith, I’m not someone who has used a church before, but it felt like a landmark in the area and it was always great to walk past it. The community will definitely miss his presence.”

The cause of the fire, which has been brought under control, is not yet known.

The London Fire Brigade (LFB) said there were no reports of injuries.

Firefighters flooded the building using ladders 111 feet long and one 209 feet long, the longest of its kind in Europe. The interior was completely destroyed and crews were seen this morning carrying away some of the artifacts they were able to salvage.

Resident Gabby Lyons said: “People were running and scared — old people, children with pets. The church was beautiful and part of the community.”

Christopher Mitchell, 42, added: “I went out feeling the heat. There were people going through a door to clear neighbours. They were real heroes. We are all going through this.”

Tariq Othman, 52, said: “We heard someone shouting and then blue lights from ambulances filled the street. The fire was so intense, it looked like it was going to whiz all the way down the street. The firefighters did a great job.”

Shahib Shah, 21, spoke of “smoke covering the street, orange light in the sky,” adding: “Every few minutes, the flames would get a little bigger. There was another spectator standing next to me who said ‘It’s like Grenfell all over again.’”

Scotland Yard said the cause of the fire was “under investigation”.

A Met spokesperson said: “Some nearby addresses were evacuated as a precaution. They were later allowed to return home.

“There are no reports of any injuries.”

The LFB said it used three staircases, including the tallest in Europe at 64 metres, as towers to evenly distribute water and extinguish the fire.

The National Churches Trust has listed St Mark’s Church as a Grade II Victorian church, describing it as an “architectural and historical treasure” finished between 1846 and 1847.

It contained “amazing” mosaics of the Salviati family as well as highly decorated marble floors in the chancel, with the overall design in the Gothic style the work of architect Thomas Cundy Jr.

It was located near the Abbey Road Studios and Lord’s Cricket Ground, and had connections with author Lewis Carroll and Queen Victoria’s son Prince Leopold.

The pastor was hosting a comedy show at the church called Have I Got Pews For You.

Cllr Adam Hug, Leader of Westminster City Council, tweeted: “It is heartbreaking to see the damage to the beautiful Church of St Mark_HT following last night’s fire. Thoughts with Rev. Kate Harrison and the congregation at this difficult time for St John Wood. CityWestminster was on scene all night and we will do what We can do to help

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