Church of St Sava, Notting Hill

The Church of St Sava stands in Notting Hill, a quiet corner of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Built in 1903 as an Anglican church, it later became the main Serbian Orthodox cathedral in England. The building is large, with brick walls and a plain interior that feels calm and orderly. Frescoes copied from 13th-century Kosovo monasteries cover the walls, showing scenes from Serbian church history. An ornate walnut iconostasis divides the nave from the altar, its panels showing Saints Sava and Simeon. The church matters because it has been a gathering place for Serbs in London since the 1950s. After the Second World War many Serbian veterans settled nearby rather than return to communist Yugoslavia. Later waves came after the break-up of Yugoslavia, swelling the local Serbian community to around forty thousand people. British royalty have also been closely involved: Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip stood as godparents at a christening here in 1957. The theologian Nikolaj Velimirović consecrated the building in 1952. Inside, two carved walnut thrones face the altar, one for the bishop and one for the royal family. A Sunday school teaches Serbian language, history and theology to children of all ages, using ten volunteer teachers. British schools regularly visit to learn about Orthodox Christianity and Serbian culture. The church also hosts a choir, a folklore group, a youth club and a spiritual society named after Saint Alimpije Stolpnik, keeping the community’s traditions alive.