Chelsea Old Church

Chelsea Old Church stands beside the Thames in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Built on the site of a 12th-century parish church, it was enlarged in the 13th and 17th centuries and rebuilt after the Second World War. The church contains seating for 400 people and a small public garden with a sculpture by Sir Jacob Epstein. A plaque honours the author Henry James, who lived nearby on Cheyne Walk. The building is Grade I listed and overlooks Albert Bridge. The church is worth visiting for its historic chapels and collections. Sir Thomas More’s private chapel, rebuilt in 1528, has pillars reputedly designed by Hans Holbein the Younger. A statue of More by Leslie Cubitt Bevis stands outside facing the river. The church holds the only chained books in London, donated by Sir Hans Sloane. A 1669 memorial to Lady Jane Cheyne was carved by Antonio Raggi, son of Gian Lorenzo Bernini. Paintings by James McNeill Whistler and J. M. W. Turner feature the church in the background. Inside, visitors find the restored More Chapel, chancel and Lawrence Chapel. Many tombs and monuments were salvaged and reconstructed after the war. Original 16th-century stained glass survives in places. The churchyard contains graves of historical figures such as Sir Hans Sloane and Catherine Courtney. A dig in 2000 examined the cemetery remains. The church looks much as it did before the war, with its old foundations intact.