Whitefield's Tabernacle, Tottenham Court Road

Whitefield’s Tabernacle stands on Tottenham Court Road in the London Borough of Camden. The first chapel was built in 1756 for the Evangelical preacher George Whitefield on open ground between Tottenham Street and Howland Street. It was enlarged three years later to meet demand, and a vault was prepared beneath for Whitefield and his wife Elizabeth. The building was taken down in 1890 and rebuilt as Whitefield’s Central Mission. In 1945 a V-2 rocket destroyed the chapel, and a new one was completed in 1957. The site is worth the journey for its long history and continuing service. John Wesley preached here in 1770 after Whitefield’s death. The church’s soup kitchen now feeds about seventy people each day. In 1972 the United Reformed Church offered the building to the American International Church when their own site was lost. The chapel also houses the London Chinese Lutheran Church. Interpretive panels in the grounds tell of Whitefield’s links with Selina Hastings and the abolitionist Olaudah Equiano. Visitors find a modern chapel with a quiet interior and adjoining public space. The grounds carry panels that show scenes from the chapel’s past. Names such as Augustus Toplady and J. S. Grimaldi appear among notable burials. The American International Church welcomes people of many nationalities each week. The site remains a place where history and present service meet on Tottenham Court Road.