Albion Chapel

Albion Chapel stood in the City of London at the corner of London Wall and Finsbury Pavement, close to Finsbury Circus. It was a Scottish Presbyterian place of worship built on the site of the old Bethlem Royal Hospital. The chapel opened in 1815 under Reverend Alexander Fletcher, who laid the foundation stone himself. Architect William Jay designed the building for its first commission. Fletcher left in 1824 after a dispute with the Church of Scotland. The chapel closed in 1879 when it was demolished for new offices. Alexander Fletcher’s congregation gathered outside the chapel after he was suspended. He defied the Church by preaching from its pulpit before leaving to build another chapel nearby. The building was repaired and reopened in 1847. Inside the foundation stone lay a Bible, coins and copies of the Westminster Confession of Faith. The chapel’s life ended when Tower Chambers replaced it in 1879. Visitors today find no trace of the chapel, only the busy streets around Finsbury Circus. The site once held the west wing of Bethlem Royal Hospital before the chapel rose there. William Jay’s design marked the start of his later American career. Fletcher’s brief but bold ministry left a mark on local church history. The corner remains a quiet spot amid the City’s modern buildings.