Parishioners whose church was gutted in a devastating blaze hope to be able to start worshipping in their community hall.

Grade II* listed St Mark’s Church in St John’s Wood went up in flames on January 26.

Just days after the blaze, vicar the Reverend Kate Harrison vowed that the church in Hamilton Terrace would continue to serve the community.

And the community hall on the church’s site is now being refurbished in the hope that parishioners can worship in the building from the start of next month.

The church estimated in May that refurbishment works to the hall would cost more than £100,000.

It said that this figure would require “some fundraising and use of reserves”.

The church has said that it plans to rent out the hall once refurbishment work has been completed in order to raise money to help rebuild the church.

On its website, St Mark’s Church claims that the hall is suitable for a wide range of activities, including parties and concerts.

Since the blaze, scaffolding and hoarding have been erected around the church to ensure the remaining walls are safe and secure.

A conservator and archaeologists have also been on the site to try to salvage items from inside the church.