Place Name
Henry Boutflower Verdon (December 8, 1846 – October 10, 1879) was to be the first vicar of the then new St Mark’s Church. Popular and kind, he was the son of a clergyman. He entered the priesthood after being educated at Jesus College, Cambridge and, following on from theological college began clerical work as a curate under the Reverend Aubrey Price, vicar of St James’s, Clapham. Where he was particularly known for his work with the poor. In 1872 he became curate of Battersea and took special interest in the district known as Chatham Road, Bolingbroke Grove. He acted as the secretary of the committee during the time that St Mark’s Church was being built. He was an active member of the Charitable Organisation Committee, promoting the work of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and established a branch in Battersea. In January, 1879, he married a Miss Wheeler but soon after became ill with rapid consumption (tuberculosis) and died later that year. This road, which runs past the church, was laid out seven years later and named in his memory