In the middle of a modern estate in Fitzrovia you will find something surprising: a little Victorian chapel.
The Fitzrovia Chapel, a hidden jewel of a building, was built from 1891, designed by the gothic revival architect John Loughborough Pearson.
Its surroundings once looks very different however, as it was built originally as part of the Middlesex Hospital that once stood on the site.
A Hospital For The ‘Sick And Lame’
The Middlesex Hospital was founded in 1745 on Windmill Street by Tottenham Court Road for the ‘sick and lame of Soho’.
It was located in two houses leased from a Mr Goodge (who gave his name to Goodge Street), before moving to Mortimer Street in Fitzrovia in 1754.
It was rebuilt in the 1920s and then closed for good in 2005.
The hospital building was demolished in 2008 and the new development of offices, houses and shops opened in 2016.
The beautiful hospital chapel however was retained due to its Grade II listing. Part of the development deal for the area was that they would also restore the chapel to its former glory.
The Stunning Fitzrovia Chapel
In the late 1800s it was felt the hospital did not have any space that was non-clinical or administrative. John Loughborough Pearson, the architect behind Two Temple Place and St Augustine’s Church in Kilburn, was commissioned to design a chapel, as a place of calm and reflection for patients and staff.
It was constructed as a memorial to Major Alexander Henry Ross who had been chairman of the board of hospital governors for 21 years.
Construction started in 1891 when Pearson was already near the end of his life. After John’s death in 1897, his son Frank took over.
Although services started in 1891, it amazingly took over 25 years to complete. The length of time was down to the incredibly intricate detail of the interior but also because there was a commitment that no money for patient care would be spent on the chapel. Raising the funds from donations therefore took a bit of time.
It was never fully consecrated but was ‘dedicated’ in Feb 1939 by the Archbishop of Canterbury who described it as ‘one of the most beautiful hospital chapels in the realm’.
What to look out for
The rib-vaulted ceiling bedecked with gold-gilded tiles is what will immediately grab your attention.
The wall mosaics are lined with green onyx.
17 types of marble were used inside the chapel in total. The chapel’s marble altar was designed by Frank Loughborough Pearson, and was installed in around 1905.
The South-West apse is decorated with this incredible blue and gold design.
Inside you will find the font, carved from a single block of green marble.
It also has a Greek palindrome on the top which translates as ‘wash clean my sins, not just my face’.
A really lovely feature is the series of plaques to former staff members at the hospital or chapel
There is one each to the Loughborough Pearsons and one to Major Ross. There is also one for Dame Diana Beck who was the first female neurosurgeon (1900-1956).
Make sure to also spot the small plaque near the altar to Rudyard Kipling. His body lay in state in the chapel after he died at Middlesex Hospital in 1936.
Many members of staff or former patients at the hospital have very fond memories of the chapel as a place of rest and tranquility. You can imagine it was like stumbling across another world, if just by chance, you opened the door to this wonderful space at the heart of the hospital.
How to visit
They hold open days most Wednesdays from 11am-4pm when you can look around for free.
It can also be hired out for events, find out more here!
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I found this chapel by accident while on my way to an appointment at the Middlesex Hospital, and stopped to pray; I think I might have lit a candle, it was in the 80s. I still have the prayer cards.
Absolutely remarkable. I would so miss these emails, keep em coming.
I was born in the Middlesex Hospital but had never visited the chapel. I only really knew of its existence when I heard the hospital had been demolished but the chapel preserved. Thank you for the chance to see inside! I hope to see it for real one day.