St John's Wood locals stand defiant after St Mark's Church fire

But this was a Candlemas service like no other, held in the shadow of the charred ruins of the church in Hamilton Terrace, St John's Wood, after it was consumed by a devastating blaze at the end of last week.

There was anguish and sorrow among many of the parishioners and supporters in attendance, but also a sense of hope that the church would be able to re-build in the coming months and years.

The Bishop of London, Dame Sarah Mullally, described the service as “looking forward in the shadow of devastation”.

• READ MORE - Footage shows St Mark’s Church on Hamilton Terrace on fire

Members of the St John's Wood community came to support the church (Image: Alex Marsh)

It is not yet known what caused the fire that ripped through the Grade II listed building on Thursday evening (January 26), nor how long it will take to re-build.

But, St Mark’s vicar, Reverend Kate Harrison, vowed at this morning’s service to continue serving the community despite the destruction.

She said: “We’ve been here for 175 years, we will be here for the next 175 years.

“We will carry on worshipping, and we will carry on serving the community. We’ve just got to be a bit more creative about how we do that."

• READ MORE - Vicar reacts as fire destroys St Mark's Church in St John's Wood

It is not yet known what caused the fire on Thursday evening (January 26) (Image: PA Media)

The church building is charred and blackened, with shattered stained glass windows (Image: Alex Marsh)

Among those who came to take Holy Communion was Eric Haynes, who described the destruction as a “terrible loss”.

Eric, the church’s caretaker for the last 26 years, said: “The church is standing as a very powerful witness for the community.

“It’s a terrible loss, but we’ve got to look at it in the spirit to re-build this church and stand together.

He added: “The church will rise again.”

• READ MORE - Reaction as fire destroys St Mark's Church in St John's Wood

It was a sign of how deeply the St John’s Wood community has been affected by the fire that many in attendance at the special service were not regular members of the congregation.

One such local was Robert Depaul, a lawyer and lyric-poet, who said he wanted to support the church during this difficult time.

Local lawyer and poet, Robert Drepaul, attended the service (Image: Alex Marsh)

As the final candle was extinguished, parishioners headed into a nearby hall for sherry and biscuits.

Pointing to the church spire, blackened in the aftermath of the blaze, Rev. Harrison said: “That spire is standing there defiantly, and I am going to stand as defiant as that spire.”