This tower was one of northern Portsmouth’s more notable landmarks until the church to which it belonged was demolished in 1971.
It is, of course, St Mark’s Church, in Derby Road, North End, and this picture was taken in the mid-1930s.
The site of St Mark's Church, North End, today
Built in 1874, St Mark’s striking belfry and clock tower was added in 1898 and cost more than the church itself.
Until the 1870s worshippers had attended services in North End Hall which was behind the Clarence Gardens pub.
In 1923 London Road was widened to take the growing number of vehicles and the church’s boundary wall was set back.
When St Mark’s was demolished a new church was built on the opposite side of Derby Road.
The chimney on the left belonged to a house called Northleigh which became the rectory for St Mark’s after the death of its owner John Young, a former mayor, magistrate and philanthropist.