St. Margaret’s, known as ‘the Church on Parliament Square’, is a 12th-century church next to Westminster Abbey. It’s also sometimes called ‘the parish church of the House of Commons’. On our trip to see the Houses of Parliament, The City Adventurers stopped off at St Margaret’s, which is free of charge to visit.
We even turned our trip into a mini treasure hunt as we tried to spot the Top Ten Things to see and do at St Margaret’s.
Standing in the shadow of the massive Westminster Abbey
Right next door to Westminster Abbey is the charming “little” church called St. Margaret’s.
It feels a bit like finding a cozy cottage built right against a skyscraper. You have to wonder: why on earth do we need two churches on the same patch of grass? As it turns out, the answer boils down to one thing: the monks just wanted some peace and quiet.
Back in 1065, Edward the Confessor set up the Abbey for Benedictine monks. Their whole life was dedicated to Opus Dei (God’s work), which meant singing and praying at very specific times of the day.
The problem? The local people of Westminster kept showing up to hear Mass. Now, while that sounds lovely, it was actually quite a distraction for the monks who were trying to stick to their strict “office” schedule. Their solution was the medieval version of “get your own space.” They built St. Margaret’s right next door so the locals could have their sacraments and the monks could have their silence.
A Church with Nine Lives
St. Margaret’s has changed a lot over the centuries:
- The 12th Century: The original Romanesque version.
- The 1300s: A new “Perpendicular style” nave was added.
- The 1480s: The whole place was falling apart, so Robert Stowell started a massive rebuild, which wasn’t finished until 1523!
Even though it’s been touched up in the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries, the building you see today is largely the same one that stood there 500 years ago.
The Ultimate “Special Status”
St. Margaret’s has always been a bit of a rebel. Historically, it didn’t have to listen to the Bishop of London or even the Archbishop of Canterbury. When Queen Elizabeth I stepped in, she made the Abbey a “Royal Peculiar.” This basically meant it answered only to the Sovereign (the King or Queen). After briefly joining the Diocese of London in the Victorian era, the church and its churchyard were placed under the governance of the Dean and Chapter of Westminster in the 1970’s.While today the church remains a “parish church of the House of Commons”, one of the Canons of Westminster serves as Rector of St Margaret’s.
St Margaret’s Treasure Hunt
Researching the top things to see at St Margaret’s, we came up with a plan for a treasure hunt. Armed with a list of items to find The City Adventurers set about exploring the Church. Want to explore on a Treasure Hunt too? Here are the things we found
- The Portcullis Motif
- The Portcullis is the symbol of the Commons, and is found throughout the church.
- The Speaker’s Pew
- Since 1681, the Speaker of the House of Commons has had the sole use of the front pew opposite the lectern.
- The Piper windows
- The abstract stained windows designed by John Piper to replace those damaged during the Second World War.
- John Milton
- Scenes from the life and poetry of renowned poet John Milton, who married his second wife in the church in 1656.
- Sir Walter Raleigh
- The explorer Sir Walter Raleigh is buried near the high altar and his life is commemorated in the west window.
- Blanche Parry
- A memorial to Blanche Parry, initially nurse-maid, and later the personal maid of Queen Elizabeth I.
- Magnificent 16th century east window
- The east window was made to commemorate the marriage of King Henry VIII and his first wife, Catherine of Aragon.
- Cornelius van Dun – Yeoman of the Guard
- Cornelius van Dun served as a Yeoman of the Guard under four Tudor monarchs. His brightly painted memorial bust records his philanthropy and is meant to inspire generosity to the needy.
- Ignatius Sancho
- A memorial to Charles Ignatius Sancho, who was a British abolitionist, writer and composer…..and who also appeared as part of Treasure Hunts in London “I want to be Elected” treasure hunt!
- Olaudah Equiano
- Memorial to another early abolitionist. Olaudah Equiano was baptised in the church’s font in 1759.
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The UK based Social Club for people who love visiting shows, exploring new places, discovering new things and solving mysteries.
Life is a journey so experience it’s adventure with like minded people. Live the life you’ve always dreamed of. City Adventurers Membership includes invitations to adventures and travel mainly in the UK
