The Eastern or Orthodox Christian denomination is the third largest after Catholic and Protestant and has approximately 300 million adherents. It is the primary denomination of many East European countries including Ukraine, Romania, Greece, Serbia and Cyprus as well as Russia and some regions of North Africa. The history of Orthodoxy is complicated; the most important event was the Great Schism of 1056 which led to separation between the church of the West, Catholicism, and the Eastern Byzantine Church, now known as Orthodox. However, my interest was aesthetic rather than spiritual: the lavish splendour of the church interiors – stepping into such churches is like stepping out of London and into Eastern Europe!

Source: Wikipedia

Greek Orthodox Cathedral, Bayswater

Also known as Saint Sophia Cathedral, this church in Bayswater has an interesting but quite ordinary exterior which hides its breathtakingly-beautiful interior. When I visited, an event (not an actual service) was taking place so all my shots are of the ceiling and above people’s heads, so my photos don’t really do it justice! The cathedral was consecrated as the Church of the Holy Wisdom in February 1882 to serve the prosperous Greek community which had settled around Bayswater and Notting Hill. The architectural style is Byzantine Revival by architect John Oldrid Scott, who was also responsible for St Stephen’s Greek Orthodox Chapel in West Norwood Cemetery, another one for me to visit! The interior is decorated with gold and polychromatic marble and the overall effect is spectacular.

Source: Wikipedia

Russian Orthodox Cathedral, Knightsbridge

Also known as the Dormition of the Mother of God and All Saints, the building is the former Anglican church of a wealthy parish of the mid 1800s. The church was let to the Russian Orthodox Church and consecrated as an Orthodox church in 1956, again to serve the Russian community in the area. Finally in 1978 the building was purchased by the Russian Orthodox Diocese of Sourozh which covers Great Britain and Ireland. The Western façade was remodelled in 1891 to closely resemble that of the Basilica of San Zeno, Verona; the interior of the church is largely unchanged unchanged from the original Anglican church. When I visited, a baptism service was taking place, both the parents and the priest conducting the service seemed quite happy for people to be wandering around the church!

Source: Wikipedia

Serbian Orthodox Cathedral

The Cathedral of St Sava, Notting Hill, is the seat of the Serbian Orthodox diocese in Great Britain and Ireland. Another former Anglican church built in 1903, after the Second World War, the church was purchased and adapted for the divine services of the Serbian Orthodox Church. Funds to buy the building were raised with the support of Queen Maria Karadjordjevic and British Lady Paget who was a great friend to the Serbian people in London, and by generous donations from the congregation. My favourite thing about the church is the large murals showing stories from the Bible, perhaps an alternative to stained glass windows. Adjacent to the church is the Community Centre which serves as the Headquarters of the Serbian Church, a Sunday School for children to learn the Serbian language and history, and also accommodates the St Sava Choir and ‘Rastko’ folk dance group.

Source: spclondon.org.uk; Wikipedia

St Mark’s Coptic Orthodox Church, Kensington

Formerly St John’s Presbyterian Church which opened in 1863, the building was purchased from the Scottish Presbyterians in 1975. It is dedicated to St Mark the Evangelist and was the first Coptic Orthodox church in Europe. Copts are a Christian denomination originating in North Africa, primarily modern Egypt. Mark was a missionary companion of Paul and is credited with establishing the church in Alexandria in the first century AD, later the Coptic Orthodox Church. St Mark is symbolised by a winged lion, presumably to represent Africa; hence the lion in the stained glass window in the church. I was shown round the church by a lovely lady called Nora, who told me that St Mark’s has a thriving Young Peoples’ Ministry that meets in the basement of the church which attracts a diverse group of young people – it’s run by her nephew! The church holds services in English and Arabic to cater for the diverse congregation.

Sources: Wikipedia; stmark.org.uk; allsaintstories.com

Lastly, I’ve included these two photos of St Sarkis Armenian Church, just off Kensington High Street. I was not able to visit, but I liked its Eastern design surrounded by Edwardian red-brick mansion blocks!

This month I visited a few more chapels in and around the City. The difference between a church and a chapel is that churches have a permanent congregation with a minister to conduct regular services, whereas chapels are usually smaller places of worship and don’t have regular services (although some do, as I found out.) There are chapels in the grounds of hospitals, schools, private residences, and these days, in airports and workplaces. However, the four I explored are in none of these places! One is in a former monastery, one is part of the Inns of Court, and two are part of larger churches.

Chapel of the Charterhouse

The history of the Charterhouse Chapel is intertwined with the Charterhouse itself. In 1348, land which is now Charterhouse Square was used as an emergency cemetery to bury victims of the first Great Plague, which claimed the lives of 60% of the population of London. Later a chapel was built as a place of prayer for the souls of the dead. When London was finally free of the plague, the then Bishop of London founded a Carthusian monastery, known as Charterhouses, on the site. This thrived until 1538 when Henry Vlll’s Act of Supremacy led to the Dissolution of the Monasteries. Thereafter the chapel was used to store Henry’s hunting and jousting equipment. The lovely entrance to the chapel was the last phase of the Carthusian building, completed in 1521 and therefore only used as part of the chapel for 17 years. However, it was later adapted for use as a private chapel for a Tudor mansion, built from the ruins of the monastery. Then in 1611 Thomas Sutton, a civil servant and businessman, bought the Charterhouse to establish a school and ‘hospital’ (almshouses) for 40 ‘poor boys’ and 80 ‘poor brothers’. The ‘brothers’, elderly single people, still occupy the almshouses, which in 2017, opened its doors to include female residents. The chapel houses a magnificent memorial to Thomas Sutton.

Sources: thecharterhouse.org; nationalchurchestrust.org

Lincoln’s Inn Chapel

The most striking aspect of this chapel is the rib-vaulted ceiling of the undercroft. The current chapel was completed in in 1623, replacing the original chapel of the Bishops of Chichester, part of the Bishops’ Palace. It was a tradition of chapels in Bishops’ Palaces to be built above an undercroft, and this one is spectacular. The poet John Donne laid the foundation stone in 1620 as preacher of the Inn at that time. The chapel bell, cast in 1613, also has a connection with Donne. By ancient tradition, the bell is tolled at midday on the death of a bencher of the Inn. This practice is said to have inspired Donne’s poem ‘No Man is an Island.’ which concludes with the line ‘And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.’ In the 18th century, the undercroft became known as a place for mothers to leave babies if they couldn’t care for them. These ‘foundling’ children were initially cared for by the Inn and given the surname Lincoln. The stained glass of the East window comprises the Coats of Arms of the Treasurers of the Inn, including that of William Pitt the Younger, Treasurer in 1794 and future Prime Minister. The chapel holds Sunday services during ‘legal terms’ and is licensed to perform weddings and baptisms for those ‘with a connection to the Inn.’

Sources: livinglondonhistory.org; nationalchurchestrust.org

St Etheldreda’s Chapel, Ely Place

The chapel of St Etheldreda is all that remains of the London Palace of the Bishops of Ely. Around 1250 John le Francis, bishop of Ely, obtained a licence to build a chapel on land owned by St Paul’s Cathedral. Completed in 1290, the London palace grew up around the chapel, extending to 58 acres of farmland and gardens. So why did bishops from Ely and Chichester (Lincoln’s Inn Chapel) have palaces in London? From the 13th century, England’s bishops established households (albeit on a grand scale) in London in order to attend Parliament as many of them held civil, as well as clerical office. St Etheldreda, born about AD630, was the daughter of a Saxon king of East Anglia who founded Ely cathedral in Cambridgeshire. The chapel is unusual because it is a ‘double decker’ chapel, one built on top of the other. The upper chapel was the bishop’s private chapel, and the crypt or undercroft was a place of worship for local people. However, there is a theory that only the upper chapel was used as a church and the undercroft had other purposes. It’s possible that that it was divided into two or more rooms; there is evidence of a well and two chimneys within the walls, which suggests domestic use. Since the late 1800s the crypt has been used continually as a place of worship. My photos are of the atmospheric lower chapel with its beautiful modern stained glass windows.

Source: Booklet in the Chapel

Lady Chapel, St Bartholomew the Great

St Bart’s at Smithfields is another wonderfully atmospheric ancient church and on a recent visit, I came across the Lady Chapel. One of the miracles recorded in the Book of the Foundation of St Bart’s tells the story of a vision of the Virgin Mary in the 12th century to Cannon Hubert, one of the Austin (Augustine) Cannons living in the priory. She allegedly accused the cannons of laxity in devotion and worship to her and her Son Jesus. It was decided to build a much larger Lady Chapel at the East End of the church; chapels dedicated to saints are usually located in a side aisle. In the Reformation, Henry Vlll allowed St Bart’s to remain as a church and priory because of the attached hospital, but the Lady Chapel was separated from the main church and converted to commercial premises. By the 1700s it was a printer’s workshop and it was here that a young Benjamin Franklin began an apprenticeship as a trainee typesetter. The Lady Chapel was restored to the church in 1897 to be used again for worship and church services. A Eucharist service took place in the Lady Chapel on 21st September, in the week which celebrated Founder’s Day, marking 9002 years since the church was founded by Prior Rahere, councillor to Henry ll. The painting above the altar is of ‘Our Lady of Smithfield.’

Source: greatstbarts.com; livinglondonhistory.org

Another of my favourite parts of London is the historic Docklands. The instantly recognisable Isle of Dogs peninsula is shown above in a map from 1949 and a present day map. Once the world’s largest port, the Port of London was heavily bombed in World War Two; the docks and warehouses were damaged or destroyed along with much of the area’s housing. Plans to rebuild and redevelop the docks in the 1950s were abandoned due to the introduction of container ships worldwide; the River Thames and the docks themselves could not accommodate these much larger vessels. The docks closed and the area became derelict and poverty-ridden. Ambitious plans to regenerate the former docks were proposed in the early 1970s, when the name ‘London Docklands’ was first used in a Government report. The London Docklands Development Corporation managed the conversion of the area into residential, commercial and light industrial space in the 1980s and 90s and the Canary Wharf Project established a second business and financial district of London. Not without controversy, the LDDC was criticised at the time for favouring the construction of high-end luxury apartments rather than affordable housing for local people. Today, it’s also a tourist must-visit; there are the usual range of bars, eateries and shopping malls, plus the wonderful Museum of London Docklands, housed in a former warehouse. Two of the churches I visited are located somewhat to the west of Docklands but both have strong associations with the River and the docks.

Source: Wikipedia

St Mary’s, Rotherhithe

Situated on the south bank of the Thames, this church is close to the former Surrey Commercial Docks and the area is steeped in history: the nearby Brunel Museum charts the history of the Thames Tunnel, a Victorian feat of engineering constructed by Sir Marc Isambard Brunel. St Mary Rotherhithe Free School, founded in 1613 by mariners Robert Bell and Peter Hill for the education of the sons of seafarers, is located across the road from the church, which it predates. Although now located elsewhere, it is thought to be the oldest elementary school in London. On the wall of the church is a Blue Plaque commemorating the sailing of the Mayflower from Rotherhithe in 1620, and in the adjacent graveyard is a statue of the ship’s captain, Christopher Jones of Rotherhithe. The inscription on the statue reads: ‘To the memory of Christopher Jones, 1570 to 1622, Master of the Mayflower. He landed 102 planters and adventurers at Plymouth, Massachusetts 21st December 1620. They formed the Mayflower Company and the first permanent colony in New England.’ Interesting that they are referred to as Adventurers, not Pilgrims! The current church was constructed between 1714 and 1747, replacing a mediaeval building, but sadly I was not able to go inside.

Source: londonremembers.com

St Peter’s Wapping

If only that Tunnel had still been in use, it would have been an exciting route from St Mary’s to St Peter’s just across the River. As it was, I travelled one stop on the Windrush Line. This church has a legacy of caring for the poorest people of the dockland area, with the first Anglican mission to the poor of London being founded here by members of the Society of the Holy Cross. Wapping was one of the poorest districts, inhabited by criminals, prostitutes and unskilled dock workers. Work began on the building of the church in 1856 by the Reverend Charles Lowder, and the church was consecrated in 1866. Soon afterwards the East End was struck by cholera and Rev. Lowder, the other clergy and the Sisters of Mercy worked tirelessly caring for the sick at great personal risk. Thereafter Rev. Lowder was called ‘the Father’ by local people as he seemed like the father of the community. The work among the poor continued with the setting up of schools and clubs for children, canteens offering affordable food, and spiritual support. In 1873 Lincoln Stanhope Wainwright became Rector of St Peter’s under Rev. Lowder and continued the parish work, even giving away his own food and clothing to the destitute. Another priest beloved by the community, when he died in 1929, one of his parishioners wrote ‘Docklands was washed with tears because this tiny but indomitable figure, shabby, untiring, spendthrift of love, would not serve them on Earth any more.’ I loved St Peter’s bright, colourful interior.

Sources: stchrysostoms.wordpress.com; londonremembers.com

Christ Church and St John’s, Isle of Dogs

Travelling on the elevated Docklands Light Railway (DLR) is always fun and my journey to Island Gardens took me past Mudchute and Millwall Parks. This church is situated on Manchester Road at the tip of the Isle of Dogs peninsula, and the first thing I noticed when I arrived was that the church, the vicarage and a pub (the Waterman’s Arms) were the only buildings over 30 years old. The streets here have changed almost beyond recognition since the days of the docks. Building work on Christ Church began in 1852 by William Cubitt at his own expense on land donated by the Countess of Glengall and the church was consecrated in 1857. The church has some interesting features: the painted mural over the chancel arch was completed in 1914 and the wonderful organ with its decoration of angels was installed in 1911. A newsletter in the church informed me that the Vicar, Father Tom Pyke decided to celebrate Pentecost this year by having Scripture readings read by church members who speak languages other than English, literally ‘speaking in other tongues’ as the followers of Jesus did on the Day of Pentecost. The languages spoken by the multi-lingual congregation are: Welsh (Father Tom), French, Polish, Vietnamese, German, Hindi, Indonesian, Nepali, Zulu, Shona, Czech, Spanish, Urdu, Yoruba, Luganda, Farsi – and English. I wish I’d been at that service!

Source: Christ Church Isle of Dogs website: newsletter in church

I also liked the cross-beamed ceiling

St Peter’s Barge: London’s Floating Church

The most unusual of my visited churches, St Peter’s is unique in that it’s actually IN the dock, formerly West India Dock! The barge which houses a church is moored at West India Quay in the heart of the Canary Wharf business and financial district. A large part of this area lies within the parish of St Anne’s Limehouse, and following the redevelopment of the East London Docklands, St Anne’s started lunchtime outreach meetings in the pubs and bars for the 100,000 people working here. The project was supported by St Helen’s Bishopsgate in the City, but to grow the work, a permanent venue was needed; the vision to establish a floating church was realised with the formation of the St Peter’s Canary Wharf Trust. A Dutch freight barge was purchased in the Netherlands in 2003, refitted in situ and brought across the North Sea, where it has a permanent mooring here in the dock. A full-time Church of England minister was appointed in 2004; fast forward 21 years and St Peter’s holds regular Sunday morning services, including Sunday School for primary aged children in nearby London Docklands Museum – what a great place to have Sunday School! The lunchtime talks, part of the original outreach, take place on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and there are also cell groups, women’s and young people’s groups and a Toddler Group, appropriately named Little Ducklings. What a great location to ‘do church’!

Note: This month I visited four very different churches, each with a unique story to tell: histories of buildings and people and events from 300 years ago right up to the 21st century. As always, when I happened to meet church staff and volunteers (which happens a lot!) they were friendly and helpful. It’s one of the best parts of writing this Blog!

A very ten-uous link this month: I’m looking at churches closest to the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club! The closest of these is 8 minutes’ walk away and actually rents out its adjacent field as a car park during the Championships. I took the opportunity to walk down Church Road last week to watch the busy preparations for the Tournament.

The Club was started as a private club for the popular sport of croquet in 1868. Its original ground was in Worple Road in Wimbledon Town, and the new sport of lawn tennis was introduced in 1875, with just one lawn set aside for this. The first Gentlemen’s Singles Championship was held in 1877 and was won by Spencer Gore, who is quoted as saying ‘Lawn tennis will never rank among our great games.’ Famous last words! In 1884 the Club added Ladies’ Singles and Gentlemen’s Doubles and in 1813 Ladies’ and Mixed Doubles. The Club moved to its present site in Church Road in 1922 and the current Centre Court dates from that year, much altered and improved over the years, with the installation of the sliding roof in 2009.

Source: Wikipedia

St Mary’s Church, Wimbledon Village

A large church on a substantial plot, this church looks quite rural from some viewpoints. The first church on the site was a simple wooden construction, serving a population of 100 in Wimbledon Village at the time of the Domesday Book, replaced by a stone building at the end of the 13th century. By the beginning of the 18th century the population of Wimbledon had increased only to 450 so the church remained adequate for the congregation. However, only 50 years later, from about 1750, the population of the whole country rapidly increased and the church building which was in urgent need of repair after 500 years of use, was substantially enlarged at a cost of £2,100. The arrival of the railway in 1838 and a doubling of the population to 2,600 made it necessary to provide a further 400 seats, and architects Messrs Scott and Moffat were chosen to extend the church and build a new tower and spire. Sir George Gilbert Scott went on to become one of the most prolific Victorian architects. In 1860 when the chancel (the altar part of the church) was being restored, some medieval rafters were discovered, having been covered over with a plaster ceiling. This beautiful artwork was carefully repainted by local architect Peter Bond in 1993.

Source: Church website

St Luke’s, Wimbledon Park

The second-closest church to the All England Club is St Luke’s, founded in 1908 as a Parish Church, built at the same time as the adjacent houses. The surrounding land was purchased for development in 1905/6, with the church being established for people moving into the new houses. Transport links to the capital were provided by the opening of Wimbledon Park railway station in 1889, originally steam powered and electrified in 1905, becoming a stop on the London Underground District Line (although it still runs overground at this point.) The lovely red brick church building was designed by architect Sir Thomas Graham Jackson and has a distinctive tower and spire. These made it easy for me to find the church and adds interest to this suburban residential street. In the spring of 1908 a marquee was erected and the congregation worshipped here before moving into the church hall and finally into the church itself. Thankfully, not much has changed inside or out since the early days, except the inevitable replacement of pews by chairs and the installation of audio-visual equipment.

Source: Church website

St Mark’s Wimbledon

Back down the Hill in Wimbledon town centre is the Anglican church of St Marks. This one piqued my interest because it’s a mid-century modernist building which replaced a Victorian church which burnt down in 1966. The interior of St Marks is an absolute gem: the building is a pentagon shape, designed by architects Humphrys and Hurst and completed in 1969. A frieze of jewel-coloured glass runs along the upper part of four of the walls and behind the altar the fifth wall is a ‘tent-like, framed structure’ which allows light into the church. The five structural pillars which meet at the centre of the roof were constructed off-site and assembled in situ. The two banners which hang either side of the altar were designed by a member of the congregation to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the opening of the new building. Behind the church is a large garden which is shared by the church and the pre-school which is held in the church hall. The garden was the bequest of Mr Haig Galustian in memory of his mother and the plaque commemorating this is written in both English and Arabic.

Source: Church website and helpful church volunteer

Trinity URC, Mansell Road, Wimbledon

Also close to the town centre is another red brick church, Trinity URC, right next to Wimbledon GDST (independent girls’ school). On 30th October 1883 a group of ladies and gentlemen were invited to the home of Mr Patrick Kidd of Hill Road to discuss the establishment of a ‘Scotch Church’ in Wimbledon. The Presbytery of London was approached and as a result a ‘Preaching Station’ was formed – Trinity Presbyterian Church. The first congregation and Sunday School met in a hall in nearby St George’s Road, and as numbers grew, a permanent site for a new church was found in Mansell Road. Work started on what is now the Old Hall in 1886 and on the church building itself in 1890. There was a strong Scottish feel to the church as many of the members were ‘exiled Scots’. At this time, the church had a thriving Sunday School, held in the afternoons after the main service. As well as religious instruction, this provided social and educational activities for local children. 80 years later in 1972 the Presbyterian Church of England united with the Congregational Church to form the United Reformed Church. Today the church has a Chinese congregation which joins with the first part of the main service before moving to their own service in Cantonese.

Source: Church website

Note: photo credit for the first picture: the newly-built church, from the church website. I couldn’t go inside the church due to music exams taking place when I visited, hence exterior shots only.