HOLY ALLIANCE AS ST MARK'S GETS NEW LEASE OF LIFE - Property developer reaches out to exiled congregation

Published: 17 September 2010
by JAMIE WELHAM

AND they lived happily ever after... 

This is the final twist in the Mayfair saga nobody saw coming when developer George Hammer tested the faith of millionaire heiress Lady Sainsbury by drawing up plans to convert her beloved St Mark’s Church into a health spa.

His vision for the historic building, where William Wilberforce once preached, complete with jacuzzis and plunge pools, saw him branded a heretic, while he hit back accusing the congre­gation and Lady Sainsbury of hastening its dereliction. 

The row raged on for two years with bitter arguments, legal wrangling and Diocese secrecy the status quo.

So the pair can be forgiven for looking a little sheepish when they came together last week at St Mark’s for a fairytale reconcil­iation, which saw Mr Hammer hand an olive branch to his former adversary by offering the exiled congregation their home back.

From January, the Christian Commonwealth Fellowship will return to the church in North Audley Street on Sundays. During the week it will host functions and private parties in a similar vein to Mr Hammer’s other church in Marylebone, One Marylebone. 

Speaking at the historic rapproche­ment last week, Mr Hammer said: “Both sides are winners and the most important thing is that the church is saved. I really think this was the only solution and it will be the kind of solution you will see more and more given church finances. 

“I would have liked to do the health spa, but this way everyone is happy. We are paying an awful lot of money do to the repairs, which means we need to run the functions. 

“But the good thing is we really are very expensive, so we go for fewer, high-profile events, meaning the church building doesn’t need to be  used as much.”

Lady Sainsbury, the wife of former Tory minister Sir Tim Sainsbury and president of the Save St Mark’s Campaign, said: “We are grateful to George for letting the congregation come back. They will be delighted and I am glad we found a resolution that means the building can still be used as it should be.”