Churches of the British Isles

Holy Trinity Gray's Inn Road stood on the eastern side of Gray's Inn Road, on the southern side of the Royal Free Hospital, very close to St Bartholomew Gray's Inn Road (below). The northernmost gates of St Andrew's Gardens (with a row of headstones behind them) probably mark the spot today. The church was built in 1839, taking its parish from part of that of St Andrew Holborn. In 1931 the parish was united to St George the Martyr Queen Square and the church demolished.

St Bartholomew Gray's Inn Road stood approximately on the eastern side of Gray's Inn Road, at the northern side of the junction with Wren Street in Bloomsbury. The southernmost gates of St Andrew's Gardens (shown here) probably mark the spot. The church was built in 1860, over two decades after its near neighbour, Holy Trinity (see above), but it was destroyed in the Blitz. In 1959 the parish was united to that of St George the Martyr Queen Square.

Regent Square United Reformed Church is at the south-east corner of Tavistock Place and Wakefield Street. It opened as Regent Square Presbyterian Church in 1827 to serve Scots in London at a time when the site was surrounded by open fields. In 1843 a rift caused the Free Church of Scotland to be formed and the Gothic church lost many members. It was destroyed by a V2 rocket in 1945, and the present building opened in 1966. By 2010 it was named Lumen URC.

St Peter Regent Square stood at the north-east corner of Regent Square, just a few metres east of the location of Regent Square Presbyterian Church (above). The church was built in 1826, and gained a district chapelry in 1851. This was converted into a separate parish in 1868, but the church was destroyed during the Blitz and not rebuilt. Its parish was united to Holy Cross (below) in 1954. The modern block of flats shown here stands in part over the site of the church.

Holy Cross Cromer Street stands on the southern side of the street, opposite the entrance to Tonbridge Street. The brown-brick church was built between 1887-1888 to the designs of the architect Joseph Peacock in the traditions of the Oxford movement which brought fresh life and vigour to the Church of England. Successive priests have kept alive the Anglo-Catholic traditions here, and in 1954 it gained the parish of St Peter's Regent Square (above).

King's Cross Baptist Church is at Vernon Square on Penton Rise, at the junction with King's Cross Road. The red brick church with stone facings was founded in 1860 as Vernon Baptist Church but little else is known of its history. It contains a small hall (furthest from the camera) which appears to be contemporary with the church itself, while a new brown-brick building stands nearest to the camera. The church provides a weekly soup kitchen for the local homeless.

St Jude Gray's Inn Road was located approximately at the south-east corner of Gray's Inn Road and Swinton Street. The church was built in 1847 and gained a parish of its own in 1863. As the population of Central London dwindled between the wars, the church was found to be excess to requirements and was closed in 1935. It was demolished the following year and the parish was united to that of Holy Cross (see above). That church also gained some of the fixtures and fittings.

King's Cross Methodist Church has entrances both on Birkenhead Street for the hall at the rear of the building and Crestfield Street for the church itself (shown here), immediately south of the Euston Road. The church is heavily involved with the Chinese community, providing services in Mandarin and Cantonese. With its sister church at Hinde Street, this forms the West London Mission. On 12 September 2009 fire broke out in the English Chapel, which was then repaired.

St Luke Euston Road sat just behind the hospital which stood where St Pancras Station hotel now is, on the northern side of the Euston Road in the St Pancras area - one of notorious slums which crossed the covered River Fleet. The church was built perhaps in 1850, but the site was chosen for the Midland Railway's new terminus so it was dismantled in 1868 and rebuilt as Wanstead Congregational Church. Christ Church Chalton Street replaced it locally.

Eight photos on this page by P L Kessler.