Your Favorite Churches in London?
 

I think there is a big possibility that I may go to church on the Sunday when I am in London.

What are some of your fave churches to attend? Which ones are more lax about dressing (I attend church in the states where it is come as you are)? I would wear a simple skirt and blouse, but no heels. Just flats or keds.

Any church is fine...I am a non-denominational Christian.

I loved St.Marylebone Parish Church which has a service at 11am on Sundays ( do phone & check if you intend going 071-9357315).
This is where Robert Browning & Elizabeth Barrett were married in 1846.
Lord Byron was christened here in 1778 but the church was much smaller at that time.

The Templar Church in the law courts.

I was going to post the same thing..I've been to London several times and have never attended mass there. I'd like to completely avoid the "touristy" churchs, I want someplace a bit more "local". Preferably catholic, but it really doesn't matter. I'll be staying in Earl's Court, anyone recommend a church in that area? Although I really don't mind hopping on the tube.

St. Paul's -- not the big one, but the little one built by Inigo Jones facing Covent Garden Market. The one Eliza Doolittle leaned against the pillars of to sell her violets in Pygmalion/My Fair Lady. It's also called the actors' church and has interesting plaques inside. There are a lot of choral groups that perform inside all the time also.

http://www.actorschurch.org/

We enjoy going to St Helen's Bishopsgate (Sundays at 10:15 am and 7 pm). <http://www.st-helens.org.uk/home/>

It's a very old stone church, hidden in a small close behind modern buildings, and right in the City of London (the financial district). Nearest tubes are Liverpool St and Bank.

St Helens has a very interesting history, a welcoming community, and very good authentic teaching - it's basically Anglican, but less formal than most Anglican services. It's not anything like a service at St Paul's or Westminster Abbey -- smaller, and much more personal. Definitely no need to dress up! Lots of students, young city dwellers and families -- it reminds me of Redeemer Presbyterian in NYC, and in fact that was where I first heard about it during a visit to NY.

And afterwards, we go to Liverpool St station concourse where there's a small Italian place that serves a very good full English breakfast... :-)

We went to the 8 a.m. Sunday service at St. Paul's cathedral, and there weren't very many people there, and the dress code was quite lax.

It was a very enjoyable service too, and a lovely cathedral.

I would go to Westminster Abbey too when I go back.

Happy travels,

Jules

The Chapel of St Peter ad Vincula has morning prayer in Tudor English at 11 or 1115. It is medieval, in the Tower, but you just go ten minutes early to the Tower gate and ask for admission to go to church. Hymns and the while setting are traditional, a retired general reads each lesson, and you end with the national anthem.

The Temple church, near Temple underground station, is thirteenth century and has a feeling of history. The church of St Barthomolew the Great, near Farringdon station, is twelfth century, large and dark, with the oldest feel of any London church. By contrast, Southwark Cathedral, on the Thames opposite London Bridge station, though fourteenth century, is full of light from great windows, and has good music, including contemporary music, and well-thought sermons. The Church of Anne and St Agnes, north of St Paul’s Catheral, is seventeenth century, and run by friendly American Lutherans. The choir is good.

The most unusual and most memorable is the morning service in the Tower.

Ben Haines
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There are no dress codes in any mainstream London Christian church, unless there's a posh social or political event going on.

Strong argument for St Ethelreda's in Ely Place. One of the very few City churches to survive the Great Fire more or less intact, it's been Catholic since its medieval foundation, except for a 150 year interregnum. Which means it has statues and pictures very much like the way the church must have been for its first few hundred years.

It also has spectacularly untrendy views about liturgy. While it now has to have the bible readings in English, practically every other part of its 1100 Sunday Mass is in Latin. It has little truck with new-age composers like Bach or Mozart: at a pinch, they might do a bit of Palestrina. But mostly, it's raw plainsong. Except for the fact that the alto parts are sung by women, not boys, it's all as close as you'll ever get to how an early 15th century bishop's or king's private chapel in England looked, smelt and celebrated divine service.

If your Latin's gone rusty since school, full bilingual texts are handed out.

Thank you, everyone, for these great suggestions. I hope we will have the opportunity to try one of these suggestions next summer when we are in London!

Last summer, we went to St. Paul's. It was lovely. We were dressed pretty casually. I think I had on pants, instead of shorts.

The choir was simply amazing. (Not sure, but I think they have visiting choirs each week.) The beautiful space combined with the wonderful sound made for a majestic experience. Though there were lots of other visitors there, the service didn't feel touristy. (Okay, there were the people who came and sat down for 10 minutes and then left, but by far most were worshippers.)

The service was held in the main area of the cathedral. There seemed to be people walking around in the back of the huge cathedral, which is different from a usual Sunday service, although you really didn't notice them.

The service was somewhat similar to an Episcopal service in the US. Though the wording was different and more formal. It was intriguing to listen to. The communion was held at a different time and was not part of the service we attended.