History

The church building

Our current church building was completed in 1901. It replaced a small wooden structure which had served the village of Newnham since 1870. At that time Newnham was quite separate from Cambridge, and St Mark’s a daughter church of St Andrew and St Mary, Grantchester. But the village was growing, and in 1918 Newnham became an independent parish.

In contrast to the long, stone-built Gothic churches of the era, St Mark’s was constructed with a mellow red brick, and without a rood screen separating the choir from the congregation. The original architect’s plan shows a narthex or entrance lobby, which was not built at the time owing to shortage of funds. A hundred years later, a centenary project raised funds for a narthex, porch and internal gallery in a modern but sympathetic style – all were dedicated in 2002.

Organ
The original organ, built in 1907, was recently rebuilt to a specification by Paul Hale, organist at Southwell Cathedral. It is now a fine instrument that perfectly matches the space of the building.

Burial Ground

St Mark’s has a beautiful, rural burial ground, which includes a memorial garden and wildflower meadow. The burial ground can be found on the south-east side of Barton Road, the A603, about 500 yards south west of junction 12 of the M11. It can be used for any resident of the parish, anyone with a strong connection to the parish, anyone who dies in the parish, or anyone else with special permission from the vicar, regardless of faith.