London's 100 Best Churches

The memorial service for Sir George Pinker, the Queen’s doctor, took place at St Marylebone Parish Church in 2007.

On Wednesday 12 October Archbishop Vincent Nichols will be present at 6pm for Evensong before giving the inaugural annual Sir George Pinker Memorial Address.

The title is Global Aspects of Women’s Health.

All are welcome.

The Wellbeing of Women charity hopes to attract medical practitioners, ethicists, legal, political and theological figures from across the religious traditions, as well as family, friends and patients of Sir George.

St Andrew’s at Holborn Circus is marking the 50th anniversary of its reconsecration following the Second World War.

On Wednesday 5 October at 7pm there is a Solemn Mass of Thanksgiving. The Bishop of Ebbsfleet is preaching and the Holst Singers are providing the music.

On next morning there is a ‘open house’ from 8am to 10am to view the church and spaces available for events.

The Guardian has a good obituary of Otto Herschan who served as managing director of the Catholic Herald for over forty years.

It all started at St Mary’s, Hampstead.

There are several unusual harvest festivals during October.

Next Sunday 2 October at 3pm there is the Welsh harvest festival at St Benet’s, the Welsh Church, in Queen Victoria Street EC4 in the City. This is usually followed by a Welsh tea but this year the event is extra special as the Bishop of London will be there to induct the new priest Aneirin Glyn.

All Hallows-by-the-Tower keeps its ‘Harvest in the City’ on Tuesday 4 October at 6pm by asking people to bring along a symbol of their work to place on the altar. Archdeacon of London David Meara will preach and St Dunstan’s College is providing the choir.

The Fish harvest festival is on Sunday 9 October at 11am at St Mary-at-Hill in Lovat Lane off Eastcheap EC3. In the porch there is always a fine display looking like the fish counter in Harrods.

The Agricultural Journalists harvest festival is on Thursday 13 October at 10:45am in St Bride’s, Fleet Street. This is an unusual occasion as there is an auction of produce afterwards which often includes honey from Kent.

Sunday 23 October it is Apple Day at Southwark Cathedral. After the 11am Choral Eucharist there will be fun and games with the Ministry of Fun in the churchyard adjoining Borough Market.

Time to drop into St Mary le Strand and check the feel of the interior.

Ten new plain glass windows now replace the green and yellow windows installed in 1870 in the nave.

The new windows should make the church lighter and also reduce noise from traffic passing on both sides.

This is the WRENS Church and it was a bequest from former churchwarden and Wren Hazel Reed which paid for the work.

Open House London to be held over the 17-18 September weekend offers an opportunity to view many of London’s 100 Best Churches.

Although most are open during the year some will have special displays for visitors.

CENTRAL LONDON
St Giles-in-the-Fields (Sat 10am-5pm/Sun12noon-5pm) has an archives display. The Grade I listed Palladian church, by the architect of Woburn Abbey architect Henry Flitcroft, has one of London’s best preserved early Georgian interiors.

St Paul’s Covent Garden (Sat10am-5pm) by Inigo Jones is the Actors’ Church and has been called a Tuscan-style church.

St Martin-in-the-Fields (Sat 10am-4pm) is offering tours of the church and crypt and a bellringing demonstration to those who pre-book on 020 7766 1100. There are also free audio tours. The famous church has recently undergone a £36m renewal programme and won RIBA and Civic Trust awards.

SPITALFIELDS
Christ Church (Sat10am-4pm/Sun1pm-4pm) has a RIBA award for the restoration of the Nicholas Hawksmoor masterpiece.

CITY OF LONDON
St Ethelburga’s (Sat/Sun 10am-6pm) is a 14th-century church restored after being hit by an IRA bomb in 1993.

St Helen’s Bishopsgate (Sat 10am-5pm/Sun1pm-3.30pm) survived both the Great Fire of London and a bombing to be controversially reordered by Quinlan Terry.

St Mary-at-Hill (Sat/Sun 10am-5pm) remains a delight despite the loss by fire of the box pews. On Sunday director of music Robert Smith will play the famous Hill Organ.

St Mary-le-Bow (tours Sat at 10.30am and Sun 11am, 12.30pm, 2pm, 3.30pm) is home of Bow Bells.

St Stephen Walbrook (Sat/Sun10am-4pm) has the controversial central stone altar by Henry Moore under the dome.

CROYDON
St Mary’s Addington (Sun 2.30pm-5.30pm) is at the end of the tram line the burial site of five Archbishops of Canterbury. This is a rare chance to see inside.

CANONS PARK
St Lawrence Whitchurch, Little Stanmore (Sat 10am-4.30pm/Sun11am-5pm) is an amazing continental baroque church rebuilt in 1715 by James Brydges, first Duke of Chandos and now standing in a suburban setting.

STANMORE
St John’s (Sat 2pm-5pm) stands next to the old church which Pevsner called “one of the best ruins in London”. The churchyard has the tomb of WS Gilbert.

HARROW-ON-THE-HILL
St Mary’s (Sun 2pm-5pm) is an ancient church on top of the hill with the famous school. Byron’s daughter Allegra is buried by the door.

KILBURN
St Augustine’s Kilburn (Sat 10am-5pm. Tours 11am, 11.30am) is Pearson’s grand masterpiece used in films.

Sunday Worship on Radio 4 this weekend comes live from the Grosvenor Chapel to mark the 10th anniversary of 9/11.

The service will be led by Canon Jim Rosenthal who, although based in London, is American.

The early 18th-century church resembles many in America, including St Paul’s at Ground Zero, and has long been the unofficial chapel for Americans in London. The US Embassy is nearby.

The broadcast is at 8.10am on Sunday 11 September.

If you want to be there email [email protected]

You will have to be seated by at least 7.40am.

See page 76.

St Bartholomew’s Day at St Bartholomew the Great in Smithfield is being observed on Sunday 28 August during August Bank Holiday weekend.

The 11am Solemn Eucharist will begin in nearby St Bartholomew the Less and include a procession, with an icon of St Bartholomew, to St Bartholomew the Great.

It’s good to see that Cathedral Camps is including All Hallows-by-the-Tower in its 2011 venues. It is an ancient landmark church older than some cathedrals.

Cathedral Camps provides volunteer young people who clean and paint parts of a cathedral in their holiday.

There is a Cathedral Camp at Southwark Cathedral later in August.

The BBC reports the death of John Stott mentioning his national and international reputation. He was well-known in America.

But no mention is made so far of All Souls Langham Place opposite Broadcasting House.

John Stott knew the church for most of his 90 year life and was curate and rector for 30 years until 1975. At his death he remained Rector Emeritus.

See page 10.