Category: theatre

The Actor’s Church- St. Paul’s Convent Garden

What church in London has a long history with the theatre and arts? Which church contains memorials to some famous actors and actresses? It is St. Paul’s in Convent Garden.

St. Paul’s has a long association with the theatre and arts community. Since about 1663 they have been associated with the theatre. Performances have been on their grounds. St. Paul’s has been home to its own in house professional theatre company since 2007. They also have an orchestra in residence.

The back courtyard of St. John’s in Convent Garden, London.

Some famous people are associated with the church. There are some famous people baptized at and St. Paul’s including Gilbert of Gilbert and Sullivan. Married at the church were Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale.

Memorials

There are memorials inside the church dedicated to famous actors including Charlie Chaplin. The memorials line the walls inside of the church. A few are pictured below.

Alec Clunes played numerous Shakespearian roles. He appeared in film playing Hastings to Olivier’s Richard III and in One of Our Planes is Missing, a WWII flick. He was the father of current actor, Martin Clunes.
Richard Wattis appeared in numerous films including Chitty, Chitty, Bang, Bang. See his IMB page for a complete list. Robert Atkins is known for Black Magic, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Peg of Old Drury.
Vivien Leigh won two Academy Awards for Best Actress as Scarlett O’Hara in Gone With the Wind and Blanche Dubois in Street Car Named Desire. She was primarily a stage performer playing roles such as Cleopatra, Juliet, and Lady MacBeth.
He appeared in the James Bond film to Russia With Love. He also appeared in The Sting and Jaws. He was a writer whose most notable work was the novel The Man in the Glass Booth.

If you are making a trip to Convent Garden, stop in to St. Paul’s. They have a great garden in the back and a unique history for a church. When I visited in July they also had a resident church cat.