Arrangements for January view The Church page for wide view Given the high infection rates in London at the moment and guided by the Area Dean, the churchwardens have determined that we should not hold congregational worship for the time being. The Family Service on Sunday 24th January will take place via the Whatsapp group at 10am. John Watherston will be leading Mattins on 31st January. It will be apparent from these plans that our Vicar David remains unwell. Your continued prayers for his recovery will be appreciated. There will be no 8 am Communion service and no Evensong during January but the church will continue to be open on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 1 to 2 pm for private prayer. Sunday 24th January - The Third Sunday after the Epiphany 8 am Communion cancelled 10 am Family Service WhatsApp group only 11.15 am Mattins cancelled as some team members have to self-isolate. or https://www.pbs.org.uk/churches-and-services/-1 which lists streamed services, also St. Luke's https://www.youtube.com/c/StLukesandChristChurchChelsea 6 pm Evensong cancelled Watch Mattins on January 10th here Watch Parish Communion on January 3rd here Watch a recording of Mattins on November 29th here Chelsea Old Church has traditionally donated the whole collection taken on Remembrance Sunday to the Royal British Legion. As we are not able to take a collection in Church this year we hope that those of you who are viewing this service online will donate what you would ordinarily have put into the collection plate on this day directly to the Legion using this link To see previous sermons starting 29 March 2020 click here (Sermons for 13 Sept, 30, 23, 16, 9, 2 August, 26, 19, 12, 5 July, 28, 21 &14 June, Trinity and Whit Sunday, Seventh, Sixth, Fifth, Fourth, Third, Second Sunday after Easter, Low Sunday, Easter Sunday, Good Friday Addresses and 29th March) Sunday 28 June video stream here Sunday 10 May video stream here Canon David Reindorp’s Easter 3 Fourth Sunday after Easter Video Message here Canon David Reindorp’s Sunday 26 April Video Message here Canon David Reindorp’s Easter 1 Second Sunday after Easter Video Sermon 2020 here website sunday references as per Lectionary, videos by calender Canon David Reindorp’s Easter Video Message 2020 here Good Friday Addresses here Palm Sunday sermon video here Mattins and of Communion recorded at Chelsea Old Church on 22 March. Also some videos of Chelsea Old Church services and messages collected together on youtube channel 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 in 2018 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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| Genevieve de Brabant in Prison Baptizing her Son. J-B Mallet Anchor Magazine Winter edition out NOW 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 |