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A brief Introduction to St Pancras Church was produced, by our previous vicar, Revd. Anne Stevens, as part of St Pancras Church's celebration of its bicentenary in 2022. A copy can be found here.

Please click here to see a short video tour of the church by Helena Aksentijevich. This is, in part, presented by our previous vicar, Revd Anne Stevens.

Helena's photos of the church are available here.

St Pancras Church Building

A place dedicated to Christian community worship since 1822 

Greek Revival Architecture

After a competition involving thirty or so tenders, designs by local architect William Inwood and his son, Henry William Inwood, were accepted.

The Inwoods drew on two ancient Greek monuments for their inspiration – the Erechtheum and the Tower of the Winds, both on the Acropolis in Athens.

Consecrated in 1822

St Pancras Church was dedicated by the Bishop of London on 7th May 1822.

Our (new) St Pancras Church was intended to replace the, then, neglected and dilapidated (old) St Pancras Church, which has since been restored and is now the parish church for our neighbouring parish of 'Old Saint Pancras with Saint Matthew, Bedford New Town'.​​

The Caryatids

The church’s most celebrated features are the two sets of caryatids that stand above the north and south entrances to the Crypt. Unlike the original figures on the Acropolis, each of the St Pancras caryatids holds an extinguished torch or an empty jug, reflecting their position as guardians of the dead.

The caryatids are made of terracotta, constructed in sections around cast-iron columns, and were modelled by John Charles Felix Rossi, who provided all the terracotta on the building.

A Building Cost of £76,679

The first stone was laid by the Duke of York at a ceremony on 1 July 1819. It was carved with a Greek inscription, of which the English translation is, “May the light of the blessed Gospel thus ever illuminate the dark temples of the Heathen.”

The total cost of the building, including land and furnishings, was £76,679, making it the most expensive church to be built in London since the rebuilding of St Paul’s Cathedral.

The builder was Isaac Seabrook.

Victorian Additions

The impressive interior is, again, largely Greek in style and much is still as originally built. At the east end Ionic columns rise grandly around the sanctuary. The original pews are still in place.

The high quality stained glass windows on both sides were added by the Victorians who also did some re-arranging of the interior.

Grade 1 Listing

The church has a Grade I listing from English Heritage, as an important early example of the Greek Revival architecture. It is mostly built from brick, faced with Portland stone. The portico and the tower are entirely of stone. All the external decoration, including the capitals of the columns, is of terracotta.

The Caryatids of The Erechtheum
The Acropolis
The Caryatids of St Pancras Church
London
The Tower of the Winds
The Acropolis
The Tower of St Pancras Church
London
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Take a 360 Degree Tour

External Views

The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of St Pancras, London.  Charity Number: 1133802

For a copy of St Pancras Church privacy policy, click here

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