Chelsea Old Church (All Saints)
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Chelsea Old Church (All Saints) is an Anglican church on the corner of Chelsea Embankment and Old Church Street.
The earliest surviving part of the church is the chancel, probably from the 13th century. The chancel arch collapsed in 1784 and was partly reconstructed. The nave and tower, built in 1670 was destroyed, along with most of the church in war-time bombing in 1941. In 1525 Thomas More built a chapel on the south side for his private use. The fragments of the 1532 monument to More have been reconstructed and now stand where they formerly stood. Chelsea Old church is the only London church to have chained books. They are the gift of Hans Sloane and consist of the so-called "Vinegar Bible" of 1717, two volumes of Foxe's Book of Martyrs (1684 edition), a prayer book (1723) and Homilies (1683).
There is a memorial to Lady Jane Cheyne (1669), designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini but executed by an apprentice. There is a memorial plaque to Henry James who lived nearby on Cheyne Walk. The church appears in several paintings by James McNeill Whistler and J.M.W. Turner, in all cases little more than a white dot. Although the church was painted white in the nineteenth century, its exterior is now modern red brick. The old church is effectively clad inside a modern structure. The whole church was reconsecrated in May 1958 by the Lord Bishop of London and the Queen Mother. There is seating for 400.
To the west of the church is a small public garden containing a sculpture by Jacob Epstein.
In 1978 Jack Leslau wrote an article in "The Ricardian" suggesting that one of the Princes in the Tower survived, namely Edward V of England, and is buried in Chelsea Old Church. His evidence depends on a complicated interpretation of a painting by Hans Holbein the Younger. Jack Leslau's own website expands on this thesis. No major academic institution endorses this thesis.
Jack Leslau References:
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- [1] - Official website of Chelsea Old Church.
- [2] - History of the site.
- Mystery Worshipper Report at the Ship of Fools website
