Fitzrovia Chapel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Fitzrovia Chapel |
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 Fitzrovia Chapel
Location in City of Westminster
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| 51°31′08″N 0°08′18″W / 51.5190°N 0.1383°W | |
| Location | Fitzrovia, London W1 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Previous denomination | Church of England |
| History | |
| Former name(s) | Middlesex Hospital Chapel |
| Status | Hospital chapel |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Deconsecrated |
| Heritage designation | Grade II* |
| Architect(s) | John Loughborough Pearson |
| Style | Victorian Gothic |
| Years built | 1891–92 |
| Closed | 2008 |
The Fitzrovia Chapel is a beautiful old building in central London, England. It stands in Pearson Square, a modern area in Fitzrovia, Westminster. This special chapel is known for its amazing Gothic Revival style and stunning mosaic artwork inside.
The chapel was designed by a famous architect named John Loughborough Pearson and built between 1891 and 1892. The detailed interior was finished much later, in 1929, with his son Frank Loughborough Pearson overseeing the work. It was originally the chapel for the old Middlesex Hospital. Even when the hospital was taken down and rebuilt, the chapel was saved. It's now a Grade II*-listed building, which means it's very important and protected. Today, it's called the Fitzrovia Chapel and is used for many different events.
Contents
History of the Chapel
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The building we now know as the Fitzrovia Chapel was built as the chapel for the Middlesex Hospital in 1891–92. From 1929 to 1935, the old hospital buildings around the chapel were slowly taken down and rebuilt.
Later, the Middlesex Hospital joined with University College Hospital. Because of this, the hospital buildings (except the chapel) were completely demolished between 2008 and 2015. A new group of homes and shops was built in their place. The chapel, being a protected Grade II*-listed building, was kept safe during all this work. Today, it stands in Pearson Square, a public area named after its architect.
Amazing Architecture
The Fitzrovia Chapel is a great example of Gothic Revival architecture, designed by John Loughborough Pearson. It has an Italian Gothic style. The inside of the chapel is truly special. It has a rib vaulted ceiling that is richly decorated with colorful marble and mosaics. These mosaics were finished in the 1930s by Maurice Richard Josey and his son.
The ceiling mosaic shows blue stars on a gold background, like the night sky. The wall mosaics are lined with green onyx stone and have a cool zigzag pattern. In the arched chancel (the area near the altar), there's a special pillar for washing hands, called a piscina.
You can also see an aumbry, which is a small cupboard, decorated with a carving of a Pelican in her Piety. This carving shows a mother pelican feeding her babies with her own blood, a symbol of sacrifice. It was put there to remember Prince Francis of Teck, who was the younger brother of Queen Mary and died in 1910.
Around the arches, there are sculpted busts (head and shoulders statues) of the Twelve Apostles and Old Testament prophets. The organ gallery at the chapel's west end has an arch above it. This arch is decorated with a mosaic inscription that says:
GLORIA IN EXCELSIS DEO ET IN TERRA PAX HOMINIBUS BONÆ VOLUNTATIS
(GLORY BE TO GOD IN THE HIGHEST AND ON EARTH PEACE TO MEN OF GOODWILL)
The baptismal font (a basin for baptisms) is carved from a solid block of green marble. It's decorated with symbols of the Four Evangelists. There's also a unique inscription on it that reads: "Nipson anomemata me monan opsin". This is a palindrome in Ancient Greek, meaning it reads the same forwards and backwards. It translates to:
Νίψον ἀνομήματα, μὴ μόναν ὄψιν
(Wash the sins, not only the face)
It's unusual for a chapel, but this one faces roughly north–south instead of the traditional east.
Interior features
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The baptistery where baptisms take place
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A beautiful fresco painting
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The amazing ceiling with its starry design
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The aumbry with the pelican carving
People Remembered at the Chapel
The Fitzrovia Chapel has memorials for several important people, including:
- Diana Beck: She was the first female neurosurgeon (a doctor who performs brain and nerve surgery).
- Rudyard Kipling: A famous writer, known for The Jungle Book.
- Prince Francis of Teck: A royal prince, brother of Queen Mary.
The Fitzrovia Chapel Foundation
The Fitzrovia Chapel is looked after by a charity called the Fitzrovia Chapel Foundation. It is now a secular chapel, which means it's not used for religious services anymore. Instead, it's a popular place for non-religious events like weddings, civil partnerships, baby naming ceremonies, and memorials.
Exhibitions and Events
The Fitzrovia Chapel is also a cool spot for artists, galleries, and art groups to hold exhibitions. Many different kinds of events happen here:
- In May 2017, the Horiuchi Foundation showed photographs by Tomohiro Muda. The exhibition was called Icons of Time: Memories of the Tsunami that Struck Japan.
- The Richard Ingleby Gallery hosted an exhibition during Frieze London in October 2017, featuring works by artists like David Batchelor.
- In July 2017, Erskine, Hall & Coe presented Claudi Casanovas's Minvant.
- The TJ Boulting gallery has shown works by Stephanie Quayle and Siân Davey at the chapel.
- As part of Frieze London, the Stephen Friedman Gallery has displayed art by Yinka Shonibare and Jonathan Baldock.
- In January 2019, photographer Richard Ansett showed his portrait of artist Grayson Perry at the chapel. It was called Birth.
- Music artists like Katie Melua have also used the chapel for recordings.
- Fashion brands, including Phoebe English and Sharon Wauchob, have used the chapel for shows and photo shoots.
"The Ward"
Before World AIDS Day in 2017, the chapel held its first exhibition called The Ward. It told the stories of four young men who were patients on the Broderip and Charles Bell Wards at the old Middlesex Hospital. The Broderip was London's first AIDS ward, opened by Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1987. The exhibition featured photos taken by Gideon Mendel in 1993.
"Nina Hamnett - 'Everybody was Furious'"
In 2019, an exhibition at the chapel focused on the Welsh artist Nina Hamnett, who used to live in Fitzrovia. The show, called Nina Hamnett - 'Everybody was Furious', included pieces from the Tenby Museum and Art Gallery.
"Portraits of NHS Heroes"
During the coronavirus crisis, artist Tom Croft created a virtual exhibition at the Fitzrovia Chapel. It showed portraits of NHS staff made by 15 artists. You can see this exhibition online.
"Tell Them I've Gone to Papua New Guinea"
In 2022, the chapel celebrated the performance artist Leigh Bowery with an exhibition. It featured his costumes and videos, including the film The Legend of Leigh Bowery by Charles Atlas.
"Lee Miller: Nurses"
In May and June 2022, an exhibition showed photos of nurses taken across Europe by photographer Lee Miller during the Second World War. The pictures showed nurses in different places, from Oxford to field hospitals in France, and even German prisoner-of-war nurses.
Chapel Opening Times
The Fitzrovia Chapel is usually open to the public on most Wednesdays from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM. It is also open for special events and exhibitions.
