| Chelsea Old Church | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Location | Old Church Street andCheyne Walk,London |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Churchmanship | Traditional (Book of Common Prayer) |
| Website | www |
| History | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Years built | 12th century |
| Specifications | |
| Number oftowers | One |
| Bells | 8[1] |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Diocese of London |
| Clergy | |
| Vicar(s) | The Revd Max Bayliss |
| Laity | |
| Director of music | Andrew Macmillan |
Historic site | |
Listed Building – Grade I | |
| Official name | Chelsea Old Church (All Saints) |
| Designated | 24 June 1954 Amended 18 December 1992 |
| Reference no. | 1189649[2] |
Chelsea Old Church, also known asAll Saints, is anAnglican church, onOld Church Street,Chelsea, London SW3, England, nearAlbert Bridge. It is the church for a parish in theDiocese of London, part of the Church of England. Inside theGrade I listed building, there is seating for 400 people. There is a memorial plaque to the authorHenry James (1843–1916) who lived nearby onCheyne Walk, and was buried inCambridge, Massachusetts. To the west of the church is a small public garden containing a sculpture bySir Jacob Epstein.
Chelsea Old Church dates from 1157.[3] It was formerly the parish church of Chelsea, before it was engulfed by London. The building consisted of a 13th-centurychancel with chapels to the north and south (c. 1325) and anave and tower built in 1670.
The chapels were private property. The one to the north was called the Lawrence Chapel and was owned by Chelsea'sLord of the Manor. The chapel to the south was rebuilt in 1528 asSir Thomas More's private chapel. The date can be found on one of the capitals of the pillars leading to the chancel, which were reputedly designed byHans Holbein the Younger. There is a statue of More byLeslie Cubitt Bevis outside the church, facing the river.
There is a 1669 memorial toLady Jane Cheyne. It was designed by the son ofGian Lorenzo Bernini and executed by Gian Lorenzo's favourite sculptor Antonio Raggi.[4]
It is the only London church to havechained books. They were the gift ofSir Hans Sloane, Bt, theAnglo-Irishphysician,naturalistcollector,Member of the British Parliament andPresident of the Royal Society. The books consist of a copy of the so-called "Vinegar Bible" of 1717 (containing a misprint of the word 'vineyard'), two volumes ofFoxe's Book of Martyrs (1684 edition), a 1723 printing of theBook of Common Prayer and a 1683 edition ofThe Books of Homilies.
The church appears in several paintings byJames McNeill Whistler andJ. M. W. Turner, in all cases little more than distant tower; the church was painted white in the 19th century. For example, the church was depicted in the background of Whistler'sNocturne: Blue and Gold - Old Battersea Bridge, painted c. 1872–1875.
The church suffered severe bombing damage during theBlitz of theSecond World War on 14 April 1941, in which the church and tower were mostly destroyed by aparachute mine.[2][5] The Thomas More Chapel was least affected. Services were held in the adjoining Cheyne Hospital for nine years.[5]
In 1950 the More Chapel was reopened, followed by the chancel and Lawrence Chapel in May 1954, after restoration by the architectWalter Godfrey. It was then listed Grade I on 24 June 1954.[2] In May 1958, the entire church was reconsecrated by theBishop of London in the presence ofQueen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, as it had been restored in its entirety on its old foundations. It looks much as it did before World War II. Many of the tombs and monuments inside were salvaged and reconstructed, almost likejigsaw puzzles.[2] Some original 16th-century stained glass was also preserved.[2]
In 1978, Jack Leslau wrote an article inThe Ricardian suggesting that one of thePrinces in the Tower survived, namelyEdward V of England, and was buried in Chelsea Old Church. His evidence depends on a complex interpretation of a painting byHans Holbein the Younger. Leslau's website expands on this, but no major academic institution has endorsed the thesis.[6] The social reformerThe Baroness Courtney of Penwith is buried in the church.[7]
In 2000, theMuseum of London Archaeological Services carried out anarchaeological dig at the cemetery.[8]
Media related toChelsea Old Church at Wikimedia Commons| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
51°28′59″N0°10′15″W / 51.48306°N 0.17083°W /51.48306; -0.17083
