St Anne's Church, Soho Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids St Anne's Church, Soho
The tower and west end of St Anne's Church.
Location	Soho, London
Country	United Kingdom
Denomination	Church of England
History
Dedication	Saint Anne
Dedicated	1686
Architecture
Architect(s)	William Talman and/or Christopher Wren
Years built	1677–1686
Administration
Parish	St Anne with St Thomas and St Peter, Soho
Deanery	Westminster St Margaret
Archdeaconry	Charing Cross
Diocese	London
Province	Canterbury

Sketch of St Anne's Church, Soho by James Abbott McNeill Whistler

St Anne's Church is a historic church located in the lively Soho area of London. It belongs to the Church of England. The church was officially opened on March 21, 1686. Bishop Henry Compton dedicated it as the main church for the new area of St Anne Within the Liberty of Westminster. This new area was created from a part of the larger St Martin in the Fields area.

Today, parts of the churchyard, especially around the west side and the tower, are a public park called St Anne's Gardens. You can get to this park from the Shaftesbury Avenue end of Wardour Street. The church itself is entered through a gate at the end of Dean Street. Over time, the area served by St Anne's Church grew and changed. In 1945, it joined with two other churches, St Thomas and St Peter, to form a larger church community.

History of St Anne's Church
Rectors of St Anne's Church, Soho
Images for kids
See also

History of St Anne's Church

Building the First Church (1677–1799)

The church was named after Saint Anne because Bishop Compton had taught Princess Anne before she became Queen. Building work started in 1677 in what was then the countryside of Soho Fields. The architects were William Talman or Christopher Wren, or perhaps both. The church was designed to be about 80 feet (24 meters) long and 64 feet (20 meters) wide. It had a tall west end tower that reached 70 feet (21 meters) high.

In 1699, a free school was started for boys in the parish. By 1704, girls were also allowed to attend. The church received an organ in 1699 from the Queen's Chapel at St James's Palace. From 1700, William Croft, a famous composer, became the church's first organist. He wrote the well-known "St Anne" tune for the hymn O God, Our Help in Ages Past. This original organ was later moved in 1798.

The church's tower was not fully finished until 1718. A wooden spire was added by a local carpenter named John Meard. Many notable people were connected to St Anne's during this time. Edmund Andros was buried in the churchyard in 1714, and the actress Hester Davenport in 1717. In 1724 or 1725, Edward Harley, 3rd Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer, was married here. In 1743, Prince William Henry, who was King George III's younger brother, was baptized at the church. The actress and dancer Arabella Menage was also baptized here in 1782.

Changes and Music (1800–1939)

By 1800, the church's tower had become unstable. After many meetings, architect Samuel Pepys Cockerell was hired to design a new one. The old tower was taken down, but its 1-ton clock bell from 1691 was kept and is still used today. The brickwork for the new tower was finished by 1801. Its bell chamber, made of Portland stone, was ready by March 1803, and its copper dome by May 1803.

The ground floor of the new tower became a meeting room for the parish. Later, it was used as a robing room for the clergy. Below this, in a 14-foot (4.3-meter) deep brick room, are the ashes of the famous novelist Dorothy L. Sayers. She was a churchwarden and a member of the St Anne's Society for many years. Other people buried in the churchyard during the 19th century include David Williams (1816) and William Hazlitt (1830). The body of Thomas Pitt, 2nd Baron Camelford was placed in the crypt in 1804.

St Anne's Church was also known for its choir and music. Sir Joseph Barnby was the organist from 1871 to 1888. He brought the first performance of Bach's "Saint John Passion" to the UK. The choir also performed for royalty, including Queen Victoria at Windsor in 1886 and later for Queen Alexandra at Buckingham Palace. In the 1920s, the first religious service with music ever broadcast on radio came from St Anne's Church.

War and Rebuilding (1939–Present)

During the Blitz in World War II, on September 24, 1940, the entire church was burned down, except for the tower. The tower was left in ruins. For a while, services were held in St Thomas's Regent Street (which is now gone) and in a room in St Anne's House.

By 1949, it was thought the church would not be rebuilt. So, in 1953, the remaining parts of the east wall were taken down. The land was no longer considered holy and was prepared for sale. The parish then joined with those of St Thomas's Church and St Peter's Church, forming the Parish of St Anne with St Thomas and St Peter.

The tower was used as a small chapel in the 1950s. It was partly fixed up in 1979 by the Soho Society. Then, in the 1990s, the entire church was rebuilt. The tower was fully restored between 1990 and 1991. It is now a Grade II* listed building, meaning it's very important historically. The rebuilding was helped by a new law passed in 1965, which allowed the site to be cleared. Princess Anne laid the foundation stone on March 12, 1990. The new church complex was finished and rededicated on St Anne's Day, July 26, 1991.

The new church is not an exact copy of the old one. It is designed to be flexible, able to be a large or small space. It is part of a community center and serves as a meeting place for the community, for example, after sad events like the 1999 Admiral Duncan pub bombing.

Even when there was no church building, the St Anne Society, led by Father Patrick McLaughlin, encouraged writers and thinkers to connect with the Church of England from 1941 to 1958. Famous members included Agatha Christie, T. S. Eliot, and C. S. Lewis. The church has a long history of helping London's poor and homeless. In 1969, Kenneth Leech, an assistant priest at St Anne's, started the charity Centrepoint in the church's basement. This charity still helps young homeless people today.

St Anne's Church is now a busy church community. It also hosts many local events and meetings for charities. It is home to the Soho Society, the archives of MoSoho (the Museum of Soho), and since 2016, the charity Diversity Role Models. To celebrate 25 years since the rebuilding, a new entrance on Dean Street was opened on December 8, 2016.

The new entrance was designed by students Lina Viluma and Sherief al Rifa’i. They won a competition to redesign the entrance. Judges praised the design for its strong idea, careful details, and striking lighting, which makes the church feel welcoming.

Rectors of St Anne's Church, Soho

1686–1704 John Hearne
1704–1750 John Pelling
1750–1766 Samuel Squire
1766–1778 Richard Hind
1778–1781 Robert Richardson
1781–1806 Stephen Eaton
1806–1845 Roderick MacLeod
1846–1891 Nugent Wade
1891–1914 John Henry Cardwell
1914–1929 George Clement Wilton
1930–1933 Basil Bourchier
1953–1962 Patrick McLaughlin
1963–1975 John Frear Hester
1978–1984 Michael Barnabas St Leger Hurst-Bannister
1985–1998 Frederick Crichton Stevens
1998–2007 Clare Marguerite Herbert
2007–2011 David Samuel Gilmore
2011–2013 William Mungo Jacob
2013– Richard Simon Fildes Buckley

Images for kids

The tower and west end of St Anne's Church.
Sketch of St Anne's Church, Soho by James Abbott McNeill Whistler

St Anne's Church, Soho facts for kids

Contents