Have you visited St Paul’s yet?
I’m not talking about the famous St Paul’s Cathedral in the city, but it’s lesser-known namesake, St Paul’s Church, located in the heart of London’s Covent Garden.
When Covent Garden was redeveloped in the 17th century, St Paul’s Church, often described as the actor’s church due to its proximity to London’s theatre district, nearly didn’t make the cut.
Lord Bedford who owned the land was reluctant for a church to be built and only agreed by telling the architect Inigo Jones, that he wanted a simple church “not much better than a barn,” to which the architect replied “then you shall have the handsomest barn in England.”
The entrance to the church is rather hidden from view being accessed by an alley off Bedford Street, while the more familiar exterior of the church, the impressive portico and pediment supported by two columns, faces west towards Covent Garden piazza.
The story goes that Inigo Jones the architect meant the entrance to be here which would mean the altar would have to be positioned at the west end of the church. The Church authorities objected, as this was not the traditional orientation, and eventually Jones had to block up the western entrance.
This didn’t stop the closed-up end of the church becoming famous. It was under the portico that the first Punch & Judy performance was given in 1662 and was also the setting for Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion (later to become the play My Fair Lady) where Eliza Doolittle is spotted selling flowers by Professor Henry Higgins.
Image courtesy of Wikipedia. Source Matt Brown https://www.flickr.com/photos/londonmatt/52998444341/
This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.