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St Martin-in-the-Fields
Known
for its royal connections, St Martin’s is the only church to have a
royal box. There has been a church on the site since the 13th century,
but the handsome present building was designed by James Gibbs in 1726.
Coffee shop in the crypt.-
Trafalgar Square WC2
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Open 8am–6:30pm Mon–Sat, services only Sun
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Free
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Southwark Cathedral
This
priory church was elevated to a cathedral in 1905. It has many
connections with the area’s Elizabethan theatres, and with Shakespeare,
who is commemorated in a memorial and a stained-glass window. US college
founder John Harvard, who was baptised here, is remembered in The
Harvard Chapel.-
London Bridge SE1
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Open 8am–6pm daily
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Free
Southwark Catherdal
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Temple Church
This
circular church was built in the 12th century for the Knights Templar, a
crusading order. Effigies of the knights are embedded in the floor. A
chancel was added later, and a reredos (screen), designed by Christopher
Wren. The church was rebuilt in 1958.-
Inner Temple Lane EC4
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Open 2–4pm Sun–Thu (check www.templechurch.com for changes)
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Free
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St Bartholomew-the-Great
A
survivor of the Great Fire, this is London’s only Norman Church apart
from St John’s chapel in the Tower of London. It was founded in 1123 by a
courtier of Henry I, and its solid pillars and Norman choir have
remained unaltered. The 14th-century Lady Chapel, restored by Sir Aston
Webb in 1890, once housed a printing press where Benjamin Franklin
worked . -
Brompton Oratory
This
very un-English, Italianate church was established by a Catholic
convert, John Henry Newman (1801–90). He introduced England to the
Oratory, a religious institute of secular priests founded in
16th-century Rome. The building, designed by Herbert Gribble, opened in
1884, with many of its treasures imported from Italy.-
Brompton Road SW7
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Open 6:30am–8pm daily
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Free
Italianate interior of Brompton Oratory
Brompton Oratory interior
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Westminster Cathedral
The
main Roman Catholic church in England is in a fearless Byzantine style,
designed by John Francis Bentley and completed in 1902. It has an 87-m
(285-ft) campanile, which can be climbed for a great view of the city.
Mosaics and marble decorate the interior, which has the widest nave in
Britain.-
Ashley Place SW1
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Open 7am–7pm Mon–Fri, 8am–7pm Sat & Sun
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Free
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St Bride’s
There
has been a church on this site since Roman times. Sir Christopher
Wren’s fine church has a wonderful tiered spire that was copied for a
wedding cake by a Fleet Street baker, Mr Rich, starting a trend. This is
traditionally the journalists’ church and memorial services are held
here.
