St Olave's Church, Hart Street

We attended a Thursday lunch time recital here. It's a beautiful church. The concert was stunning with Mozart and Luille chamber music. The only reason for 4 and not 5 stars is the hard church benches, grin. Richard who keeps the newsletter list updated, came to greet us personally and made us feel very welcome. We arrived about 15 mins before starting time and we're able to sit in the front row. People brought their sandwiches to nibble on, definitely "lunchtime" for those working in the area. Great accoustics. We'll attend again.

St Olaves is one of the few examples of mediaeval churches that existed before the Great Fire of London in 1666, the present building was built around 1450, with churches having been on the site from. The fire was raging towards it and got to within 100 metres and then the wind changed direction! However, the second world war was not so kind and the building was badly damaged and was the restored in the 1950s to what it remains today. The church has a range of connections to nationalities and people. Wikipedia has a good history of the church, which identifies some notable patrons. Sir William Penn who helped save the church in 1666 by ordering his men to blow up the houses around the church to create a barrier from the Great Fire.

Samuel Pepys: the famous diarist was a regular worshipper and called St Olaves as ‘our own church’. Both he and his wife are buried in the graveyard.

Charles Dickens: is thought to have been inspired by the church and included it in ‘Uncommercial Traveller’ describing it as ‘St Ghastly Grim’.

Norway: the church is dedicated to the patron saint of Norway, King Olaf II of Norway and it is said that the well in the crypt has some aspect of the saint in it! After the ‘blitz’ restoration was completed, in 1954, King Haakon VII of Norway presided over the rededication ceremony and laid a stone from Trondheim Cathedral in front of the sanctuary.

America: ‘in the tower, there is a memorial with an American connection. It honours Monkhouse Davison and Abraham Newman, the grocers of Fenchurch Street who shipped crates of tea to Boston in late 1773. These crates were seized and thrown into the waters during the Boston Tea Party, one of the causes of the American War of Independence.’

It is a modest parish church in the centre of a global metropolis, ‘a sanctuary in the city’. Wonderfully, in such a densely populated area, there is a very well-maintained garden graveyard attached with benches and some very well looked after grassed areas and well-tended roses.

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What an interesting Church! Just down the street from our hotel we found this little gem! I walked by the Church several times before I noticed the three human skulls adorning the entrance into the courtyard! I went closer to get a better look and to my utter surprise I found that none other than Mother Goose was buried here! I did a double take and had to take some pictures to prove to myself that I wasn’t imagining it! If you’re ever in the area, check it out! 😃👍

Tranquil historic church which survived the Great Fire of London. Lovely atmosphere. Wonderful setting for the Wednesday and Thursday weekly lunchtime concerts

Tiny, ancient church, surrounded by the bustling City. Crammed with great history, as well as a sense of timeless serenity. I came here because of Samuel Pepys and am so glad I did. (My kids also appreciated a sit down!)

Beautiful church. Amazing lunch time recitals.

A small church that is a reminder to some of the major events in London. the plague, the Great Fire and the blitz.

The Rector is a man of God. You feel it in his countenance. He is friendly, kind, and caring. Took a genuine interest in me. I am a church organist and he allowed me up to see the organ and play. He invited me back for a classical concert (Haydn & Schumann) which I gladly returned for. A peaceful feeling abides here. Beautiful stained glass windows. Small and quaint with a lot of history.