Churches of the British Isles

In 1399, Henry IV declared the duchy of Lancaster (and the Savoy lands) to be a personal possession of the monarch, and by tradition the reigning monarch also remains the duke of Lancaster. Henry VII built a great hospital here for the poor and needy. Finished in 1512 it had three chapels, of which the Chapel of St John the Baptist here is the only survivor. The famous Savoy Conference on the Book of Common Prayer also took place here in 1661.

St Michael le Strand Burleigh Street used to stand on the north-eastern corner of Burleigh Street (on the left here) and the Strand itself. The church was opened for worship in 1833 to cater for the increasing population in the area as the Strand became fully built up. It gained its own parish in 1849. The increasing population had started to decrease again by 1905, so the church was closed, and demolished in 1907. The Strand Palace Hotel now occupies the site.

Corpus Christi Catholic Church is hidden away at 1-5 Maiden Lane, immediately north of the Strand. Within the diocese of Westminster, the church was designed by F H Pownall in the early French Gothic style, and was completed in 1873. The designer had trouble with height and space due to the cramped position of the site, and the floor of the church had to be sunk about a metre below street level. The church still performs alternate Sunday masses in Latin.

St Paul's Church Covent Garden has its main entrance off Bedford Street in the Covent Garden district of the Strand. Also generally known as the 'Actor's Church' thanks to its long connection with the theatre community of nearby Drury Lane, the church was built in 1631-1633 by Inigo Jones. It gained its own parish in 1645. Soon afterwards, on 12 April 1665, the first known victim of the Great Plague, Margaret Ponteous, was buried in the churchyard.

This more familiar view overlooks Covent Garden at the other end of the church. Punch's Puppet Show was first performed here in 1662, as witnessed by Samuel Pepys. Thomas Hardwick began a major restoration in 1662, but shortly afterwards the church was destroyed by fire, on 17 September 1795. Rebuilding took place and it re-opened on 1 August 1798. In 2002, the church hosted the first of two weddings for famous pop singers Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale.

All photos on this page by P L Kessler.