The Fitzrovia Chapel and a bit of Albion

I’ve always wanted to visit the Fitzrovia Chapel but it’s never been open when I’ve been nearby. So when I was at a loose end in Tottenham Court Road waiting for my lunch date I checked out the visiting times and was delighted to see it was open and only about ten minutes’ walk away. 

Entranceway

The Fitzrovia Chapel is a little marvel. Once it served as the chapel for the Middlesex Hospital that stood on this site and hid it completely from view. It’s like a Byzantine jewel box: plain brick on the outside, but rich in polished marbles, mosaic and gold on the inside. If you like Byzantine chapels (and there’s another one in Kings College down on the Strand) then this is for you!

Altar end

The chapel was built in 1891; the surrounding hospital demolished in 2015 and redeveloped as offices and flats. Restored in 2018 it reopened as a place for quiet reflection and can be rented for weddings… 

When I visited there was an exhibition of paintings by Ben Edge called ‘Children of Albion’. It’s on until 26 November, free. Well worth a browse, especially the large painting at the altar end. It shows all the peoples who have made Britain what it is today, drawing on British folklore, and in slightly macabre details which owe a great deal to Hieronymus Bosch.

Children of Albion, by Ben Edge

Here pictured are the Roman invasions....

....and the revolt of Boudicca. 

For more about Ben Edge's work, see here:

https://www.fitzroviachapel.org/series/ben-edge-children-of-albion/