St Sepulchre-without-Newgate

Holy Sepulchre London, formerly and in some official uses Saint Sepulchre-without-Newgate, is the largest Anglican parish church in the City of London. It stands on the north side of Holborn Viaduct across a crossroads from the Old Bailey, and its parish takes in Smithfield Market. During medieval times, the site lay outside ("without") the city wall, west of the Newgate.

It has been known as the National Musicians' Church since 1955. It has London's musicians' chapel in which a book of remembrance sits and an October/November requiem takes place – unusual for a church associated with Low Church Evangelicalism. The church has two local army regiment memorials.

The vicar is appointed by St John's College, Oxford, which has held the church's patronage since 1622.

The church is within the Newgate Street Conservation Area.

History

Early history

The original (probably pre-Norman) church on the site was dedicated to St Edmund the King and Martyr. In 1137 it was given to the Priory of St Bartholomew. During the Crusades of that century the church was re-dedicated to Saint Edmund and the Holy Sepulchre, venerating the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. Knights passed by on the way to the Holy Lands. This name became contracted, and in the 21st century reference to the saint-king has been overwhelmingly dropped. The very early lessening of the first dedication helped to reserve that name for the small church to the east of St Paul's Cathedral dedicated to St Edmund, King and Martyr.

The church is today the largest parish church in the city. It was completely rebuilt in the 15th century but was gutted by the Great Fire of London in 1666, which left the outer walls, the tower and the porch standing. It was rebuilt 1667–1679 by Joshua Marshall, the King's Master Mason, and appears to be remodelled to Marshall's own design. Lightly modified in the 18th century, the interior of the church is a wide, roomy space with a coffered ceiling installed in 1834 with plasterwork of three years later. The church underwent considerable re-facing and alterations in 1878. During the Second World War the 18th-century watch-house, built in the churchyard to deter grave-robbers, was bomb-struck but later rebuilt. The vicarage was fully renovated in the early 2000s.

File:St Sepulchre-without-Newgate Interior, London, UK - Diliff.jpg

The interior of St Sepulchre

During Mary I's persecutions, in 1555, the incumbent vicar John Rogers was burned at the stake as a heretic.

Bells

The bells are referred to in the nursery rhyme Oranges and Lemons as the "bells of Old Bailey".

In 1605, London merchant tailor John Dowe paid the parish £50 () to buy a handbell and to mark the execution of prisoners at the nearby gallows at Newgate. This execution bell is displayed in a glass case in the nave. Between the 17th and 19th centuries, the clerk was responsible for ringing it outside the condemned man's cell in Newgate Prison the night before his execution, and announcing the following "wholesome advice": Template:Quotation

Given proximity to Newgate Prison and the Old Bailey, built on the site of the prison, certain of the bells in its tower, aside from marking time, celebrating weddings and communion, were rung to announce executions. In the first years of the court this was as the condemned felon was led to Tyburn.

• The bell tower
  The bell tower
• The Execution Bell
  The Execution Bell
• Exterior
  Exterior

Army memorials

The south aisle of the church holds the regimental chapel of the Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) (merged to form the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers), to whom its gardens are a memorial. The west end of the north aisle has memorials for the City of London Rifles (the 6th Battalion London Regiment).

Musicians' Chapel

By the north aisle is the Musicians' Chapel. As St Stephen's chapel it hosted votive masses to the 12th-century monastic saint Stephen Harding prior to the English Reformation and during the reign of Mary I of England.

The ashes of conductor Sir Henry Wood, founder of The Proms, who learnt to play the organ at the church as a boy, were interred here in the 1940s.

It was rededicated to musicians by Dr. W.R. Matthews, Dean of St Paul's, on 2 January 1955 in the presence of many distinguished musicians including an orchestra conducted by Sir Malcolm Sargent and the BBC Singers. Its four windows commemorate Sir Henry Wood, John Ireland, Dame Nellie Melba and Walter Carroll

The chapel's appearance and the Musicians' Book of Remembrance are maintained by the Friends of the Musicians' Chapel. A Service of Thanksgiving for all those in the book is held at the church each year as well as a requiem close to All Souls' Day. Many concerts and memorial events for musicians have been held in the church.

Recent history

The church was known as the National Musicians' Church for 70 years, until August 2017 when hiring of the facilities for non-religious events was banned, against assurances which had been given when HTB took over in 2013. Fifty figures from the musical world, including Aled Jones, Julian Lloyd Webber, John Rutter, James MacMillan and Judith Weir, signed an open letter urging reversal of the ban and preservation of the church's "unique national cultural remit". 7,800 people signed a petition asking for the decision to be reversed. Acting Bishop of London Pete Broadbent tried to convince the church to reverse its ban. Andrew Earis, director of music at St Martin-in-the-Fields and former director of music at St Sepulchre, regretted that the church had not changed its decision, which he said was "doing irreparable harm to the church as a whole".

In 2017, the vicar ceased parish funds financing the requiem and allowing of most free rehearsing time. A protest was held and many prominent musicians including John Rutter sought continued benevolence from the wider congregation and church patron. Attempts to mediate failed.

Nick Mottershead became Priest-in-Charge of Holy Sepulchre in 2021.

In 2024, Mottershead clarified that the church is not a member of the HTB network. He described work to "rebuild a reputation around being the Musicians’ Church and to redefine and communicate that this is a place that is welcoming to all. Faith or no faith, meeting people where they are — all that language is super-important to me." He welcomed the introduction of same-sex blessings and expressed support for same-sex marriage in the future.

Protection and recognition of architecture

The church has been designated a Grade I listed building (the highest grade) since 1950.

Notable people associated with the church

• Thomas Culpeper, Tudor courtier, buried here
• Thomas Gouge, minister ejected in 1662
• Samuel Gurney, MP, erected the first drinking fountain for the Metropolitan Drinking Fountain and Cattle Trough Association on the railings of the church. It was restored to the original location in 1913 and remains there.
• Rev Dr Peter Mullen, commentator, author and former rector, sometime chaplain to the London Stock Exchange
• John Rogers, minister, Bible translator, and the first English Protestant martyr under Mary I of England; he was burnt at the stake
• Sir Anthony St Leger, Tudor judge, and his first wife Eleanor Markham, buried here
• Sir John Smith, governor of Virginia and associate of Pocahontas, buried 1631 in the south aisle. Smith is also commemorated by a window designed by Francis Skeat and installed in 1968.
• Austin Osman Spare, artist, attended the church school, now a physiotherapy centre, behind the church in Snow Hill Court
• Roger Williams (1603–1683), founder of Rhode Island, USA
• Sir Henry Wood, founding conductor at the Proms
• Charles Wriothesley, long-serving officer of arms at the College of Arms, buried 1562 in the middle aisle

Organ

File:The organ at St Sepulchre, Holborn Viaduct - geograph.org.uk - 1806393.jpg

The organ

The north aisle is dominated by a splendid organ built by Renatus Harris in 1670; the organ case is its sole mention in the architectural listing, adding a date, 1677.

The swell was added by John Byfield in c. Template:Trim. The organ was enlarged in 1817 by James Hancock and by John Gray in 1828 and 1835, and Gray and Davison in 1849, 1852 and 1855. It was rebuilt in 1932 by Harrison and Harrison. A specification of the organ can be found on the National Pipe Organ Register. It is not currently playable, though efforts are being made to restore it to a playable condition. A Makin digital organ is used when required for services.

The choir has now composed of eight professional singers.

Organists

• Francis Forcer 1676–1704
• Thomas Deane 1705–1712
• Benjamin Short 1712–1760
• William Selby and Samuel Jarvis 1760–1773
• Samuel Jarvis 1773–1784
• George Cooper 1784–1799
• George Cooper 1799–1843 (son of above)
• George Cooper 1843–1876 (son of above)
• James Loaring
• Edwin Matthew Lott
• Edgar Pettman
• Frank B. Fowle c. Template:Trim
• Peter Asprey (Director of Music; present)
• Joshua Ryan (Organist elect; from May 2022)

See also

• List of churches and cathedrals of London

External links

• St Sepulchre-without-Newgate church website