London's 100 Best Churches

Bob Edwards, who appeared in the Guinness Book of Records for editing the most Fleet Street newspapers, has died.

The obituaries are all as interesting as Bob’s autobiography but only The Independent has the story of bells tolling when he was sacked as Express editor.

As Bob Edwards left the office and walked along the street to El Vino he heard the bells of St Bride’s ringing. Bob was puzzled but it turned out that his colleague Terry Lancaster had been so disgusted with Lord Beaverbrook’s action that the verger had been paid to toll the bell.

Monken Hadley Church near Barnet is well-known for having a beacon on top of its tower.

It is said to have been in use when the Armada was spotted during Elizabeth I’s reign.

There will be a rare lighting on Monday 4 June as part of the nationwide chain for Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee.

The official time is 10.20pm.

Barbara Windsor was at the Actors’ Church at lunchtime today to launch an appeal to restore and save the south courtyard.

St Paul’s in Covent Garden needs £100,000 to stop the paving stones sinking further into hidden burial vaults.

The appeal is being called a Diamond Jubilee Appeal but really it’s an emergency call for money needed by September.

ITV has the story and pictures.

The week long Festival of Arts & Faith at St Stephen’s Gloucester Road opens on Saturday 26 May.

The festival leaflet cover is a delightful watercolour by Andrew Johnson of St Margaret’s Westminster below the Victoria Tower.

There are evening concerts and from Monday lunchtime recitals.

The climax is the Festival Service on Sunday 3 June when the setting is Mozart’s Coronation Mass.

The church is open weekdays 11am to 6pm for visitors to view the art exhibition.

This Thursday 17 May is Ascension Day with most of the dramatic action in City and Southwark churches.

There will be singing from the top of Southwark Cathedral’s tower at 7.30am and from St Michael’s Cornhill after the 1pm Choral Eucharist.

The Great Bell of Bow will toll prior to the 1.05pm High Mass at St Mary-le-Bow.

At 3.15pm beating the bounds starts at All Hallows-by-the-Tower. The main party of St Dunstan’s College students, together with the clergy and the masters of livery Companies, first board a boat which takes them to the river boundary. Then the procession moves round the parish which now, of course, includes St Dunstan-in-the-East. Choral Evensong follows at 5.30pm back at All Hallows

At 8pm BBC Radio 4 is broadcasting a Eucharist live from St Sepulchre’s, Holborn Viaduct. In past years this has come from St Martin-in-the-Fields but this Thursday its choir will be singing at the City church along with the BBC Daily Service Singers directed by John Rutter. The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Brass is also providing music at what is the Musicians’ Church. The preacher is Prof Richard Burridge, Dean of King’s College London. The celebrant is the Revd Rosemary Lain-Priestley. The music setting is by Imogen Holst with anthems by John Rutter.

This Wednesday is the 350 anniversary of the first recorded Punch and Judy show in England.

It was witnessed on 9 May 1662 by Samuel Pepys outside St Paul’s Church in Covent Garden.

The star of the puppet show was Pulcinella and he had been brought from Naples. Pepys was an instant fan of the Italian show and he is known to have seen seven more performances. The original show was later staged before Charles II at Whitehall.

Pulcinella soon became Punch as the English added sausages to the stage props and in the 19th century a policeman to the growing cast which included the crocodile. Mr Punch’s wife Judy was once Joan.

As the 125th anniversary approached in 1985 there were discussions about Mr Punch’s treatment of Judy and the baby. Was it violence or slapstick? But today Mr Punch remains much loved.

The 150th celebrations are this weekend at St Paul’s Covent Garden.

On Saturday 12 May there is a mass gathering of Punch and Judy operators, known as ‘professors’, and guests including a promise of “Pulcinella from Naples”.

On Sunday 13 May St Paul’s Covent Garden will be keeping its annual Punch and Judy Sunday and May Fayre. Expect to see Mr Punch in church, or even in the pulpit, during the service at 12 noon. This follows immediately after the 11am parish Mass.

There will be lots of shows in the churchyard afterwards. Choral Evensong is at 4pm.

Today’s papers have reports of the vicar of St Michael’s in Croydon leaving with his congregation to join the nearby Roman Catholic Church.

One ludicrous headline is ‘Protestant Croydon flock follows vicar to Catholic church’.

The fact is that Fr Donald Minchew and 69 people left at the beginning of Lent. St Michael’s Church still has around forty remaining in the pews.

As a church with outreach it is likely that the congregation will grow again.

St Michael’s was built in the 1880s to a design by JL Pearson. John Betjeman considered it to be “one of Pearson’s loveliest churches”.

Sunday 1 April is Palm Sunday when congregations meet outside their church and process into the building which for the week will be Jerusalem. This recalls Jesus’ ride on a donkey from Bethany to the Temple in Jerusalem

The Southwark Cathedral procession starts at 11am in Borough Market.

St Bartholomew the Great starts its procession at 11am in nearby St Bartholomew the Less.

If you want a procession with donkeys you need to go to St Giles Cripplegate in The Barbican (10am) or St Paul’s Cathedral (11am in Paternoster Square). St Peter’s Vauxhall is processing to St Anselm’s (10.30am) with just one donkey booked.

All Hallows-by-the-Tower begins its service at 11am in the charming ruin of St Dunstan-in-the-East in Idol Lane. (Those staying at All Hallows for the bring and share lunch should take along a pudding if their surname begins with letters A-K or something savoury if it is L-Z.)

The Times has a Keith New obituary today.

Th stained glass artist worked with his teacher Lawrence Lee on the Coventry Cathedral windows.

Keith New’s work can be found at All Saints, Isleworth.

He was commissioned by Chad Varah to design a window at St Stephen Walbrook. It was later removed and is now part of a John Hayward window at Norwich Cathedral.

St. Cuthbert’s, Philbeach Gardens in Earl’s Court is keeping its patronal festival on Tuesday 20th March at 7pm.

This is the first St Cuthbert’s Day since the retirement of Fr John Vine. On Tuesday Prebendary Bill Scott, Sub Dean of the Chapels Royal, will celebrate and preach.

This is a wonderful opportunity to see inside the church and enjoy a crowded service for which the space was intended.