St Paul’s Church Covent Garden

Went here for an actors meeting, with people showing off what they do in the industry, called a Showcase. The church itself is also called the Actors Church as it has memorial plaques round the inside of actors who have died. Would you believe if I said there was a bar selling alcohol inside the main room?? Well there is and it has a plaque for Barbara Windsor with the words Get out my Pub. The church is right in the centre of Covent Garden and is a must see if you are in London. Outside there are lovely gardens with trees, lights and benches. I wish I had been inside this lovely Church before this week, especially as I go to Covent Garden regularly.

There are many awe-inspiring cathedrals in London that take our breath away. From voluminous and high-ceilinged naves to massive domes and elaborate masonry, a visit is a sensory experience. It is about "wows!" and goose pimples. St. Paul's Church in Covent Garden may lack the grandeur of cathedrals but its simplicity and quiet elegance are no less inspiring. Chandeliers hang from the high ceilings and cast their glow over rows of wooden pews below. Our senses take on different emotions. Peacefulness, reassurance, contentment and comfort. Outside in the church's landscaped gardens and along the walkway leading to the church entrance, there are wooden benches where one can enjoy a moment of quietness and reflection. Steps away is Covent Garden, Market Building, Apple Market and Piazza, a very different hub of activities, live performances, busyness and crowds.

[Don't get confused with St. Paul’s Cathedral, it is the church near Covent Gaerden] In 1630, the Earl of Bedford was given permission to demolish buildings on an area of land he owned north of the Strand for redevelopment. The result was the Covent Garden Piazza – the first formal square in London. The church of St. Paul’s was one of the first buildings to be constructed as part of the development of the Covent Garden Piazza. The main entrance to the church is on Bedford Street, where the brick façade of the church can be seen between two pillars with ornate railings on either side, and a gate between the pillars: the churchyard has a wide path leading up to the entrance of the church, with seating along both sides of the path. To either side of the path are gardens and grassed spaces. The church is known affectionately as The Actors’ church with its long association with the theatre community dating back to 1663 when the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane opened, the first of many theatres in London’s West End. permitted

Attended Candlelight Concert here yesterday and it was amazing. The church is pretty and sits right in the middle of Covent Garden.

Went to experience the musicals by candlelight. The Church is an oasis in the busy heart of the Covent Garden. The intimate setting is perfect for a small musical event like this. There is no fancy techs to enhance the effects but this is how you get to really listen to the music itself. And they played beautifully even during the pop music section. There is a small bar at the back but they don't have non alcoholic drinks, except soft drinks.

An interesting church in Covent Garden. It has it's own garden and memorial plaques to many famous actors, and is nicknamed "The Actor's Church". If you attend an event here the seats are wooden pews so may get uncomfortable after a while.

I’d often walked past this but yesterday (8 June) my friend and I went into the church and grounds. What an enlightening experience. It’s the actor’s church with so many dedications. The grounds are lovely as well .

I wanted to cool down from the noisy carnival atmosphere of Covent Garden. Behind the square where the jugglers performed, I saw the church. It was truly a hidden gem. The church has a blooming and very beautiful garden, with roses and other flowers. Many benches along the paths in the yard. In the garden itself there are many chairs for self use. The interior of the church is impressive and full of majesty. The organ is very large, and pleasant to hear when playing it. A great place to sit and reflect, think, and meditate. Whoever knowp the garden, brings a drink or something small to eat. Enjoying all the beauty and silence of the place. From advertisements on the church fence, I understood that various events are held here. I will try to reach one of them.

[Don't get confused with St. Paul's Cathedral, it is the church near Covent Gaerden] In 1630, the Earl of Bedford was given permission to demolish buildings on an area of land he owned north of the Strand for redevelopment. The result was the Covent Garden Piazza - the first formal square in London. The church of St. Paul's was one of the first buildings to be constructed as part of the development of the Covent Garden Piazza. The main entrance to the church is on Bedford Street, where the brick façade of the church can be seen between two pillars with ornate railings on either side, and a gate between the pillars: the churchyard has a wide path leading up to the entrance of the church, with seating along both sides of the path. To either side of the path are gardens and grassed spaces. The church is known affectionately as The Actors' church with its long association with the theatre community dating back to 1663 when the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane opened, the first of many theatres in London's West End. permitted

To enter St. Paul's from Covent Garden Piazza you walk thru the gates thru the gardens to the entrance in the rear. It is known as the "Actor's Church." It was built in 1633 and designed by Inigo Jones. It was dedicated to St. Paul in 1645. There was a problem with the design. The church was on the west side of Covent Garden Piazza, so the east side of the church faced into the square. Jones designed a magnificent neoclassical portico facing the square, with three doors leading into the church. Since the main entrance was in the east, the altar would have to be at the opposite end of the church, the west end. That was a problem. Christian tradition meant that the altar had to be on the east end of the church. Church authorities would not allow Jones to put the altar of St Paul's at the west end of the church. The doors facing the piazza and the covered market were blocked up, and the main entrance moved to the west end of the building. We were surprised to realize that the imposing doors under the east portico do not open; they are simply for show. Back in 1662, the first Punch and Judy show took place. You will see memorials for Charlie Chaplin and Vivien Leigh. The church was lovely in its simplicity. We were so pleased that the Nativity Set was still up in early January. The closest Tube station is Covent Garden.

After a cranky morning at work one day I thought a lunchtime jaunt to Covent Garden might put me in a better mood. It certainly did! I've been to Covent Garden a few times and never paid much attention to the church beside the Piazza. After reading about it in "1000 Things to do for under £10 I've been eager to check it out. St. Pauls church is often referred to as "The Actors Church" due to its association with the theatre community and because of its many memorials to actors and performers. What a warm and welcoming church this is! I was greeted the minute I set foot in the door by a couple of parishioners that were cleaning the entrance hall. They happily led me into the sanctuary and pointed me towards a table where I found leaflets on events and services held there at the church. The church wasn't full, but there was a fair amount of people that had wandered in to pray or sit and enjoy the silence for a bit. I had a wander around and checked out the many memorials on the walls for various actors and writers. I'll be honest and admit that I have never heard of many of these people, but a few were recognisable-Charlie Chaplin and Boris Karloff caught my eye and, having just reading Gone With the Wind for the first time, I was very pleased to see a beautiful memorial to Vivien Leigh. After looking around it was nice to sit down in a pew and just bask in the peacefulness for awhile before venturing back out into the chaos of Covent Garden. I went back to work in a much better mood!

This is more a review of the church yard rather than the church itself. On a summers day you can not find a more perfect relaxing spot to sit and eat your sandwiches. God's garden really is for everyone! It does get quite busy but there are loads of benches and a pretty grassy area with flowers that you can sit on too. Great for book reading and people watching. What I love so much about this is that it's secluded so even if it is busy, it's never that busy and you avoid all the noise from the square and surrounding traffic. It's my not so secret London garden!

For the secret garden seekers among us, the wee area behind The Actors' Church is a calm oasis of tucked-away goodness and a perfect way to escape the swarm of Covent Garden tourists. Somehow despite its incredibly central location, it manages to remain peaceful, clean, secluded and sun drenched whenever I sneak by for an afternoon book-read or catnap. Grab a take away, (or a pot of FroYo), roll up those trousers and sun those vitamin D-prived legs! Thank me later.

I know this is completely ridiculous but in all my *cough* years in London, I have never noticed that this is an actual building. I think I thought of it as a lid to the public toilets (nice ones at that) underneath it. How pathetic and wrong! This past Saturday I went to see a great cast put on a great show of Die Fledermaus. It was hilarious, and we just strolled up and bought some tickets, waited for a friend in the lovely little garden behind the church (where I think Midsummer Night's Dream is being performed at the moment), and then sat in some marvellous surroundings. I'm assuming it's called the actors church as so many famous actors have been buried here - their plaques line the walls - but there are shows on through the year as well. A great start to a night out in town and a real find in the craziness of Covent Graden market.

From the Covent Garden piazza side it's not much to look at and if you did not know about it, you would possibly turn up your nose and miss a beautiful little church. We navigated around to the other side and were welcomed to a beautiful oasis of calm and beauty. The garden area outside of the church entrance is lovely and the flowers were in full bloom. People were sitting on the benches quietly enjoying the sun and their snacks. We did not venture far into the church as there was a group rehearsing in it. Don't let this little jewel fall off your list whilst you are trying to see the larger - and much more crowded - other churches in London.

On one side of the Piazza, the St Paul's Church is a quiet haven away from the bustle of the square. There is a small garden on which you can soak up some sun in the summer, and a number of benches too. This is my favorite spot to eat a takeaway lunch in the summer, and perhaps lie in the sun for a while during a work break. There are always some street acts taking place in the Piazza in front of the church, so if they take your fancy, you can sit on the steps and enjoy the show. There is still a service that takes place on Sundays, as well as other times through the day. Its an oasis of calm, and a great contrast from the busy piazza.

Not to be confused with his cathedral, St Paul's Church on the west end of the Covent Garden Piazza is a lovely place for quiet contemplation. The churchyard is an albeit extremely popular urban oasis for lunch or just taking a break. There's a cute kitty roaming around too along with a few desperate characters here and there (but it's safe and at least during lunch hours there are so many people you should be okay).

St Paul's church (not to be confused with the London landmark) known as the actors church has a great little garden around the back to get away from the busy west end crowds that infest Covent Garden. Located at the west end of the piazza. Just behind where tha busker with the biggest crowd is and its probably my favourite little lunch getaways in London as it isn't such a walk away as Hyde or Russell Square. Known as the actors church the garden is littered with wooden benches to commemorate famous people of the area. Unfortunately its closes really earlynormally at 4pm.