______________________
Chelsea
Old Church was bombed in the Second World War and almost
completely destroyed. It now stands again - as it always
did - by the Thames in central London.
An
important new history of the church was published last year.
It is called "Chelsea Old Church, The Church that would
not die". It is written by Alan Russet and Tom Pocock
and the foreword is by John Simpson CBE, world affairs editor
of the BBC. The book is lavishly illustrated and costs £25.
For more details ring the parish office.
The
major redevelopment of the church site is now completed.
A new vicarage has been built as well as a new Church Hall
which we call Petyt Hall. The buidings were designed by
another John Simpson - who also recently designed the new
picture gallery at Buckingham Palace.
The
church has now been equipped with floodlighting.
Our
church roll now stands at 631 members - an increase of 44
over last year.
We
try to be an outward looking church. We have already adopted
a Children's orphanage in Southern Russia and, nearer home,
we soon hope to adopt another London parish.
|
Welcome
to Chelsea Old Church, and welcome back - particularly
if you are part of our extended Church across the world.
Chelsea
Old Church is a parish in the Diocese of London which
is part of the Church of England. It is located at Old Church
Street, London SW3 5DQ on the corner of Old Church Street
and Cheyne Walk. The nearest tube station is South Kensington.
Buses include 11, 19, 22, 49, 239, 319 and 328.
The Parish Office
address is 64 Cheyne Walk, SW3 5LT.
Our
services follow the Book of Common Prayer
and (apart from the Cromwell period) they have done since
the days of Queen Elizabeth 1. Our Bible readings are usually
from the Authorised Version.
But
"traditional" to us does not mean inward-looking
and we have a very large Children's Service. For a report
of this service, read James Delingpole in the Sunday Times
(News Review) on Sunday March 13th 2005
We
hope you enjoy our website and that you will come back and
visit us regularly.
Sir
Hans Sloane
It
has been said of Chelsea Old Church that it has the finest
collection of church monuments outside Westminster Abbey and
they are especially valued because of the painstaking reconstruction
of the church after its destruction in the Second World War.
A new monument was erected recently in the church in honour
of Sir Hans Sloane, whose collections formed the basis of
the British Museum, the British Library, the Natural History
Museum and the Chelsea Physic Garden.
A handsome tablet, carved by Lida Cardozo Kindersley, is now
fixed to the North wall of the chancel. It was paid for by
the Friends of the British Museum and it was unveiled by Earl
Cadogan, patron of the parish of Chelsea and a descendant
of Sir Hans Sloane.
Speaking at the ceremony, the vicar said "We have given
this great man the best spot we could find. The new plaque
is beside the tomb of the family of the squire who picked
up the crown at the battle of Bosworth and presented it to
the knight who then handed it to the new Tudor King. The tablet
is within a few feet of the tomb which Thomas More prepared
for himself and his wives and opposite the capitols designed
here in Chelsea by Holbein himself. It's near the spot where
Henry VIII stood with Jane Seymour, where Lady Jane Gray received
communion every Sunday, where the "illegitimate"
and endangered Princess Elizabeth said her private prayers
and where James 1 stood as godfather. It's a handshake away
from the pulpit where Wesley preached when Anglican pulpits
were closed to him."
The unveiling ceremony began with Morning Prayer according
to the Book of Common Prayer, spectacularly sung by the choir
of Chelsea Old Church and concluded with a reception in Petyt
Hall.
Among those present were the Mayor of the Royal Borough of
Kensington and Chelsea, the Deputy Mayor, Her Majesty's Vice-Lord
Lieutenant for London, Michael Portillo MP and more than 220
representatives of London's learned institutions.
|
