Former Holy Trinity Church in Reflection

Holy Trinity Church, close to Regents Park in London, was built in 1826-28 to the designs of Sir John Soane to celebrate the defeat of Napoleon.

After the Napoleonic wars, significant population growth plus a shortage of Anglican churches, led to government concern that the newly urbanised population would turn increasingly to dissenting sects, Roman Catholicism or simply become unchurched. Thus, in 1818 the Tory government passed an Act and made £1 million available for the ‘Building and Promoting the Building of Additional Churches in Populous Parishes’, thus inaugurating a program of church building unequalled in England since the Middle Ages.

Sir John Soane, along with John Nash and Sir Robert Smirke, the three leading architects of the day, were asked by the Office of Works to draw up specimen plans and prices for churches in accordance with the Act. Holy Trinity was one result of this building scheme.

It underwent a number of changes in its life and in the 1950s, as a result of the parish uniting with the adjoining parish of St Marylebone, Holy Trinity was retired and converted to offices.  In 2005 the tenants left and the former church was formally declared redundant.

Now Grade I listed and beautifully refurbished, it is a private event venue known as One Marylebone. (M&S were using it for a SS14 launch event when I walked past last week.)

Linked to Weekend Reflections and Sundays in my City.