Ship of Fools: Earlier London services with music

Thread: Earlier London services with music Board: Oblivion / Ship of Fools.

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Posted by PRESBY DUDE (# 16035) on :

Yes, I realize fully that this isn't necessarily a "help the tourist" column. However, I also know that multitudinous Londoner Christians read this website. Some fellow Christian might be charitable enough to send a kind word of assistance.

I'll be in London for two Sundays in early October. On both Sundays, we have appointments shortly after noon--
an early matinee at Covent Garden one Sunday, a brief afternoon tour another. My two travel pals aren't particularly interested in attending church while in London. ("Oh, we do that at home," they whine.) On the other hand, I find seeking out worship far afield to be a distinct pleasure.

I love church (and church music!), and I don't want to miss Sunday services. I've been researching many and varied church websites, but most principal services with music seem to begin at 11:00. (11:00 was traditionally the main worship hour in the USA, too, but most churches in the Midwest now begin earlier.)

Are there any London churches with good, solid traditional music - I don't care about
the denomination - that have a good 9:00 or 10:00 A.M. service, thus providing plenty of time to meet my 12:30 commitments? I'm planning to re-visit the Abbey and St. Paul's for daily Evensongs, so I'm looking for parish churches instead. I've visited London enough times in the past that I'm pretty good about using the bus and tube system---and knowing how to stop in at the Pret a Manger and order an almond croissant.

Thanks for any help that some kind-hearted soul might share!

[Edited to fix title -- Please Don't Shout. -- John Holding, Ecclesiantics Host]

[ 15. July 2013, 16:01: Message edited by: John Holding ]

Posted by ken (# 2460) on :

Where in London are you likely to be staying?

(I know you can use public transport , but if you are staying in greenwich you aren't going to want to go to Walthamstow for 9am...)

Posted by lily pad (# 11456) on :

I received a very warm welcome at the Crown Court Church of Scotland. Although the service is at a later time, 11:15 a.m., it is right at Covent Garden.

Posted by Chorister (# 473) on :

St. Martin-in-the-Fields has a 10am Eucharist, with the added benefit of being within short walking distance of Covent Garden. They have a good choir.
I've only been there for midweek services but they appear to be very open and inclusive, and extremely well set up to welcome visitors.
More details on their website, to help you make up your mind.

Posted by Liturgylover (# 15711) on :

quote:
Originally posted by PRESBY DUDE:
I love church (and church music!), and I don't want to miss Sunday services. I've been researching many and varied church websites, but most principal services with music seem to begin at 11:00. (11:00 was traditionally the main worship hour in the USA, too, but most churches in the Midwest now begin earlier.)

Are there any London churches with good, solid traditional music - I don't care about
the denomination - that have a good 9:00 or 10:00 A.M. service, thus providing plenty of time to meet my 12:30 commitments? I'm planning to re-visit the Abbey and St. Paul's for daily Evensongs, so I'm looking for parish churches instead. I've visited London enough times in the past that I'm pretty good about using the bus and tube system---and knowing how to stop in at the Pret a Manger and order an almond croissant.

Thanks for any help that some kind-hearted soul might share!

Hi there. There will be plenty of choice. here are just a few for starters, along with some indication of churchmanship to help narrow down the list:

9.30am St Barnabas, Pimlico - Anglo-Catholic. Merbeke setting with hymns

9.30am St Albans Holborn - Anglo-Catholic, Congregational setting with hymns - small childen's choir on 2nd Sunday each month. This is a lovely service (be aware the Roman Rite is used)

9.30am St Pancras Old Church - Congregational with hymns. A small church so normally packed out. Excellent parish priest and atmospheric feel. Anglo-Catholic

10am St John's Hyde Park - Modern catholic, choir, congregational setting, lots of children and busy but good music tradition.

10am St Martin's in the Field - choir, congegational setting, MotR. Normally very busy, but nicely done.

9.30am St Mary Paddington Green - Choir, congregational setting (Merbeke), High Anglican.

9.30am St Mark Myddleton Square - smallish congregation, cantor,

9.30am All Souls Langham Place - not my style but music has a good reputation, Communion monthly

9.45am St Peter's Eaton Square - choir, congregational setting, families, beautiful setting, normally packed.

10am St Pancras parish Church - choral setting with hymns, liberal Catholic.

St Martin's is round the corner from Covent Garden so that would be very convenient. It would be a lovely short walk from St Alban's Holborn or a slightly longer one from St Peter's Eaton Square (across Green park)and All Souls. From the rest buses will get you to Covent Garden in no time.

Hope this helps

Posted by PRESBY DUDE (# 16035) on :

Many thanks. "North London" took much time to write out all that information, and I deeply appreciate it. I'll find just the right place for worship, even if my two heathen friends are skipping church that Sunday. I'm staying in Ealing (No Mayfair or Belgravia for this retired teacher), but I've been to London enough to find most of those churches without much trouble. Again--I'm very grateful!

Posted by ken (# 2460) on :

The closest church to Covent Garden is St Paul's Covent Garden (the one in Pygmalion and My Fair Lady) It seem to have its main service at 11am - but as its actually at Covent Garden you might still get get there for 12:30...

St Pancras New Church, the last one liturgylover mentioned, is also within an pleasant walk of Covent Garden. I'd guess it was nearer than Eaton Square anyway. Maybe 20-30 minutes, a little over a mile. And you can walk through the British Museum to do it [Smile]

It strongly self-identifies as being "liberal" Which might actually seem more familiar to someone used to the USA. Most Church of England churches in central London are quite markedly Anglo-Catholic or (rather less often) Evangelical in a way that I get the impression doesn't happen in America so much.

Or for a completely different Anglican experience, St George the Martyr, Holborn, is a charismatic-evangelical worship-band sort of place in the HTB tradition. And they have a 10am service. With breakfast. Also well walkable for Covent Garden

St George's Bloomsbury (which is a different church even though its only about another 200 metres away) is in an amazing building, I mean an absurdly OTT amazing building. Nicholas Hawksmoor and all that. They advertise a 10:30 service. I don't know anything about their worship style. From the website I'd guess somewhere a little on the liberal-catholic side of MOTR, but I don't know.

Posted by Liturgylover (# 15711) on :

quote:
Originally posted by ken:
The closest church to Covent Garden is St Paul's Covent Garden (the one in Pygmalion and My Fair Lady) It seem to have its main service at 11am - but as its actually at Covent Garden you might still get get there for 12:30...

St Pancras New Church, the last one liturgylover mentioned, is also within an pleasant walk of Covent Garden. I'd guess it was nearer than Eaton Square anyway. Maybe 20-30 minutes, a little over a mile. And you can walk through the British Museum to do it It strongly self-identifies as being "liberal" Which might actually seem more familiar to someone used to the USA. Most Church of England churches in central London are quite markedly Anglo-Catholic or (rather less often) Evangelical in a way that I get the impression doesn't happen in America so much.

Or for a completely different Anglican experience, St George the Martyr, Holborn, is a charismatic-evangelical worship-band sort of place in the HTB tradition. And they have a 10am service. With breakfast. Also well walkable for Covent Garden

St George's Bloomsbury (which is a different church even though its only about another 200 metres away) is in an amazing building, I mean an absurdly OTT amazing building. Nicholas Hawksmoor and all that. They advertise a 10:30 service. I don't know anything about their worship style. From the website I'd guess somewhere a little on the liberal-catholic side of MOTR, but I don't know.

St Paul's Covent Garden and St George Bloomsbury both great buildings but the music in both, when I attended, was a little dull and lucklustre. No choir in the former and a cantor in the latter. St George's is quite catholic now and uses incense every week. St Pancras is odd liturgically in that it has bells but no smells!

Posted by Lietuvos Sv. Kazimieras (# 11274) on :

Choral Mattins at Westminster Abbey used to be at 10:00 and likely still is. You can easily check their website. If you get there sufficiently early they may be able to seat you in the quire. You can use the Westminster tube station. It's a five minute walk - at most - from the station to the Abbey. Obviously the music is superb, even though choral mattins isn't my thing personally for Sunday worship.

[ 16. July 2013, 01:26: Message edited by: Lietuvos Sv. Kazimieras ]

Posted by PD (# 12436) on :

Yep, Westminster Abbey Choral Matins is still 10.00am on Sundays. As the Sung Puke (it used to be ASB:A when I lived in London) is at 11.15am they'll keep it moving.

PD

[ 16. July 2013, 02:56: Message edited by: PD ]

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