St Mary's Church

St Mary’s Church stands on Eversholt Street in Somers Town, a district in the London Borough of Camden. Built between 1824 and 1827 to Henry William Inwood’s design, it served as a chapel of ease for St Pancras Old Church. A Parliamentary grant covered the construction costs, while local taxes paid for the site and interior decoration. The church was consecrated in March 1826 and quickly gained notice for converting local Roman Catholics. Early on it was called ‘Mr Judkin’s Chapel’ or ‘Seymour Street Chapel’, and Charles Dickens attended services here as a boy. The church’s interior has seen two major restorations, first in 1874 by J K Colling and again in 1890 by R C Reade. Reade’s work added traceried transoms to the windows and removed the west gallery. In 1888 a chancel was built and the side galleries taken down. Augustus Pugin once criticised its architecture, comparing it to Bishop Skirlaw’s Chapel. The building was listed Grade II in 1954 for its historical significance. Today the church forms part of the Old St Pancras Team Ministry, which once included four nearby parishes. Notable figures linked to the church include Basil Jellicoe, who served as Missioner in Somers Town, and Rob Wickham, who later became Bishop of Edmonton. The building remains a quiet place of worship in a busy part of London.