religious
James Savage, 1824
Sydney Street, SW3 6NH
This year, we are celebrating the 200th birthday of St. Luke's Chelsea. The church was consecrated on the 24th of October, 1824. It has a rich history of congregants, architecture, and more. We hope you can come and celebrate the bicentenary with us! There will be guided tours, audio tours, crafts for the kiddos, paper booklets, and more.
South Kensington, Sloane Square
49
Bus routes 211 and 49 stop right outside of the church.
Visitors can expect a peaceful church where they can talk, be quiet, light a candle, and are free to move around.
10:00–17:00
There will be activities for kids, audio and guided tours that share the history of the church, and treasures from the archives on display.
St. Luke's was built in 1824 after the population of Chelsea outgrew Chelsea Old Church. It can hold 2,500 people and thus became the centre of the Chelsea community. In it's younger days it was not only the place of worship for the area but the government, the police, and the social workers. Records exist in the church archives that tell us all of this was true, and some of these will be on display for Open House London.
The interior of the church is almost cathedral like; with a huge stained glass window above the altar. The walls are covered in memorials to those who are resting here, and show the great diversity of parishioners over the years. St. Luke's was (and still is) home to single mothers, people of colour, famous authors and actors, the working class, and the wealthy.
Guided tour
health, museum, historical house, military, mixed use
Among the UK's architectural treasures, the Royal Hospital Chelsea, has housed the iconic 'Chelsea Pensioners' since 1692. Join a tour led by a Chelsea Pensioner to learn about the site's history, including architectural contributions from Sir Christopher Wren & Sir John Soane. Discover the New Soane Stable Yard and its interactive exhibition for deeper insights into the RHC's rich history.
Sir John Vanbrugh, Nicholas Hawksmoor, Sir Christopher Wren, Sir John Soane, Robert Adam, Samuel Wyatt, 1682
