A triumphant Easter Day at Chelsea Old Church See The Church page for wide view Thanks to the very efficient ticketing system put in place by the Parish Office we were able to welcome 180 worshippers into the church for the 4 services on Easter Day, and thanks to the streaming efforts of the Northcote family we had an additional 38 attendees live online at the Parish Communion. Together that equates to over 82% of the total theoretical capacity which we have had to impose upon ourselves because of public health concerns. It will not be necessary to apply for a ticket for services over the coming months as we feel confident that we can cope with the expected numbers without the need to know precise attendance intentions from parishioners in advance. We will continue to limit attendance at individual services to 65. As usual, the 8 o’clock and Evensong services will be less heavily attended, so if you prefer to attend when there are fewer numbers present then those are the services you should target. Services will not be streamed for the time being, but we are looking into the installation of 2 fixed cameras in the gallery which will allow streaming to be carried out much more readily than has previously been the case. If anyone is particularly keen for this service to be resumed and would be prepared to contribute to the costs of this work then please contact the Parish Office. For this coming Sunday we will have the benefit of Reverend Nick Morris preaching at three of our services. As well as his usual duties at the family service at 10 am, he will be leading Mattins at 11:15 and Evensong at 6 pm. We will also have the great pleasure of welcoming back Rev Philip Welsh to celebrate Holy Communion at 8am. Second Sunday after Easter (11 April) 8am Holy Communion, Rev Philip Welsh 10 am Family Service, Rev Nick Morris and Naomi Leveson-Gower 11.15 am Mattins, Rev Nick Morris 6pm Evensong, Rev Nick Morris The church will continue to be open on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 1 to 2 pm for private prayer. It will be apparent from these plans that our Vicar David remains unwell. Your continued prayers for his recovery will be appreciated. News of his future plans at 1 hour 25 mins. into Bishop Tomlin stream below.
The office can still be contacted on office@chelseaoldchurch.org.uk or 020 7795 1019 The Vicar can be contacted on office@chelseaoldchurch.org.uk The Church will not be open on Sunday afternoons (1.30-5.30pm) -0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0- There are a range of Christian resources available and the link below lists digital streaming, tv and radio programmes, blogs and other resources. https://www.churchofengland.org/more/media-centre/church-online -0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0- The Church Monuments: said to have the most impressive array of monuments outside Westminster Abbey, see here and more of them here-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-
William Drake Limited have completed installation of the new organ.
 for information on the organ
-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-  Recently donated to the Church, a book of 25 sermons, starting in 1954, preached in Chelsea Old Church in honour of Thomas More, on the anniversary of his birth. Preachers ranged from the Archbishop of Canterbury, through Professors of Theology and Ecclesiastical History to Bishops and Deans.
Church Garden The Church gardens and gardeners won these competitions
1st Chelsea Gardens Guild Churches Summer Competition
1st Kensington Gardeners Club Churches
1st Brighter Kensington and Chelsea Scheme
Bronze medal in class 10, the London Garden Society
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0 Received recently from the Prior Studios photos of a couple of drawings by William Orpen, one of them below. Major Sir William Newenham Montague Orpen, KBE, RA, RHA (27 November 1878 – 29 September 1931) was an Irish artist who worked mainly in London. Orpen was a fine draughtsman and a popular, commercially successful, painter of portraits for the well-to-do in Edwardian society. During the First World War, he was the most prolific of the official artists sent by Britain to the Western Front. (Source: Wikipedia)-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-
Rediscovered Stained Glass Window
Received an article dated 1922, shown below, when a medieval stained glass window was discovered when cement and building rubble was removed that covered a window between the Vestry and Lawrence Chapel. Francis Eeles, renowned stained glass expert, identified the window as made between 1320-1340, the oldest window in London apart from Westminster Abbey. The window was sent to the V&A Museum with a plan to eventually restore it to Chelsea Old Church. If the window returned from V&A before WWII, when the Church was bombed, it may have been destroyed, however enquiries were made to V&A to see whether they have records of the window's fate, yes, they returned it in 1922. 
So probably destroyed in 1941. But research at British and Kensington Library and stained glass experts revealed that the Chelsea Society had paid for transferring the window to the crypt at St Lukes' in 1939 for safekeeping. An original search at Chelsea Old Church had not found the window but a more 'in depth' study had found the window sandwiched inside a broken 19th C window in the Tower clock room. The window was now in 4 main parts, pictured below, plus many smaller pieces of glass.     The inscription at the bottom says: To the glory of God and in memory of the unknown saints who for centuries have worshipped Him in this place. This window was uncovered on St Bartholomew day 1922 was recreated 1923. The 14th century glass of this window was originally in the western light of the eastern most window in the north wall of the Lawrence Chapel that was blocked up with the Colvile monument around 1632 but monument later moved and window covered but then discovered behind layers of plaster in August 1922. All of the window is now at Canterbury Cathedral stained glass studio for conservation advice and awaits the raising of funds to complete the project by displaying it in it's original window in the Lawrence Chapel. In the Churchyard - June
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| John 20:19-31  The Incredulity of Saint Thomas Caravaggio Spring is springing in the Churchyard  Anchor Magazine Winter edition out here. Spring & Summer, see here to view. The Church of England has launched a free dial-in worship service to bring prayer to people’s homes while churches are closed because of the coronavirus pandemic. A New Church Organ at Chelsea Old Church The organ plays a crucial part in the life of the church, used every Sunday and frequently during the week for funerals, memorials, baptisms and weddings. The organ removed in January 2019 was built in 1957, replaced the instrument lost when the church was bombed. Like the church itself, the organs of Chelsea Old Church have a long and interesting history. Most notable amongst these was an organ by the famous builder of the day, Renatus Harris, which is believed to have stood in the church from 1712-1723. The early removal of this instrument (for unknown reasons) prevented its eventual destruction had it remained up until 1941, and parts of it are believed still to be in existence in a church in Devon.  We are delighted that William Drake Limited have completed installation of the new organ, compressed into a 1min 23 sec stop frame video here It was heard for the first time at Mattins on Sunday 22nd. September 2019. To see the Dedication and Celebration of The New Pipe Organ programme click here, which took place on 21st November. The new organ is a fine new instrument that will not only serve the needs of the parish, but also play a part in the wider musical life of Chelsea. https://sites.google.com/site/chelseaoldchurch2/organ -0- The Clock at Chelsea Old Church The Edmund Howard clock, 1761, formerly at Chelsea Old Church, but where is it now? The present clock, made by Dents, who built Big Ben, was installed in 1950's. It was assumed the 1761 clock was destroyed during the 1941 raid, but a horologist has found a film of the clock alive and well at Dent's workshops and can be seen from 1 minute 59 seconds to 2 minutes 10 seconds in the Pathe film here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpoVTvvAT6U which was filmed at Dents in 1959. So the search is on for the Howard clock. -0- Dacre Monument Conservation and restoration work started on 28th January by conservators Granville and Burbidge and was completed 7th March 2014. The work was funded by the Dacre family in memory of the 27th Baroness Dacre.   Obelisk before during and after  mouldings before and after  Skull, wings and hourglass before and after  The dog at the feet of Lady Dacre removed to measure up for a new right front leg and reattach the left leg. -0- Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge, née Kate Middleton, attended a friend's wedding at the weekend, having just returned home after their whirlwind stay in New York. The royal couple were guests at the ceremony, which took place at Chelsea Old Church near the River Thames. The occasion may well have been a trip down memory lane for the Duchess, as the church is situated on the very same road as the Middleton's London home, where Kate shared a flat with Pippa in the years she lived in the capital after graduating from St Andrews. Kate, who is currently five months pregnant with her and William's second child, looked elegant in a floor-length black lace gown with full-length lace sleeves, most likely the same one by designer Diane Von Furstenberg that she opted to wear to the star-studded Royal Variety Performance last month. For the wedding, the Duchess accessorised with a small sparkling black clutch and black heels, wrapping up against the chill with a red tartan scarf that was draped over her shoulders. She wore her brunette locks loose over her shoulders. Courtesy Hello Magazine |
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