St Pancras Gardens, Camley Street  

51.535168, -0.131439 (OpenStreetMap, Google Maps, Yandex Maps)

Three-storey building near the south entrance to the square. Plaque to the right of the white door.
Second word of the bottom line
Lottery

Historical background Checkpoint picture 43

The small St Pancras Old Church has seen a lot in its lifetime.

The first written mention of this church dates back to 1170, and it is thought (although there is no proof for that) that there’s been a church on this spot since 313 AD, which would make St Pancras Old Church the oldest Christian church on the British Isles.

In the Middle Ages, there was a small settlement around the church, but by the 14th century, the majority of the population had moved to the nearby Kentish Town, and the church was not really used: there was just a monthly Sunday service, and in the 17th century during the Cromwell uprising it was used as barracks for soldiers.

As time went on, London moved closer and closer. Even though in the 18th century the church was far enough from the city that medical students frequented it to dig up bodies from the cemetery for research, in the 19th century the railway got here, and everything changed. Part of the park around the church was used to build the railway tracks, and since people were moving back to the neighbourhood, the church came to life again. It was restored, and during the restoration church silver that had disappeared two hundred years ago (which apparently was buried until better times) was found, along with Norman and Roman structures used in the construction of the church, and a stone altar dating 625 AD.

Like many other places around Camden, this church also had something to do with music. In 1968, The Beatles held a photoshoot here while working on The White Album — one of the photos taken here became the gatefold cover of The Red & The Blue Albums. Since 2011, there are music performances happening in the church regularly. Sometimes well-known artists, like Sinead O’Connor or Laura Marling, pay a visit, but usually these are smaller, local performers. You never know who’ll become famous though: one of those uprising stars starting in St Pancras Old Church was none other than Sam Smith.

Present in routes of categories Lion, Lion-Mini

Passed by: 39/43 (91%).

By categories:

  • Lion: 33/37 (89%)
  • Lion-Mini: 6/6 (100%)