Fitzrovia Chapel

Campaigner, food writer and activist Jack Monroe will be interviewed by Kerry Hudson at the chapel on the evening of publication of their third book, Cooking on a Bootstrap (Pan Macmillan).
Jack will be discussing their politics, their activism and their cooking; precisely what it means to nourish your body and mind through food that doesn’t break the bank.
Tickets are £5, or £15.99 including a copy of Cooking on a Bootstrap. Jack will be signing copies after the event on Th...ursday 23 August.
https://www.waterstones.com/…/a…/lond on-tottenham-court-road
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'Time was, with most of us, when Christmas Day encircling all our limited world like a magic ring, left nothing out for us to miss or seek; bound together all our home enjoyments, affections, and hopes; grouped everything and every one around the Christmas fire; and made the little picture shining in our bright young eyes, complete.' - What Christmas Is As We Grow Older, Charles Dickens
Come and celebrate Christmas in the beautiful Fitzrovia Chapel. We present a spoken word event with a little known Dickens gem, What Christmas is as We Grow Older.

Thanks to Eden Stell Guitar Duo who filled the chapel with Brahms this week in preparation for the London Strings Festival in September. We'll share the video when it's finished.

'If you ask me to play myself, I will not know what to do. I do not know who or what I am.'
Today we honour Peter Sellers, who died in the former Middlesex Hospital on 24 July 1080, in our Wireless Contemplation event. Beginning at 13:00, the audio presentation is free and open to all.

A while ago, EnjoyFitzrovia held a little celebration at the chapel. And then they made a beautiful film about it. We've really enjoyed revisitng that joyful occasion and hope you will too. So here's to summer parties, autumn drinks, winter gatherings and spring soirees.

You are invited to the outstandingly beautiful chapel to listen to the very best of Peter Sellers. To mark the anniversary of his death at the former Middlesex Hospital, we are holding a special event. It is free and open to all on Friday 20 July at 13:00.

To mark the anniversary of Churchill's discharge from the former Middlesex Hospital, we present a selection of his greatest speeches. They have been digitally remastered and are introduced by his grandson, Winston S. Churchill.
Among the speeches you may hear on 24 August are "Blood, toil, tears and sweat", "The Few", "This was their finest hour", "We can take it!", "An Iron Curtain has descended", "Never give in!", "A total and unmitigated defeat", and "Give us the tools".
... Sir Winston Churchill underwent a successful operation at the hospital to pin the bones of his fractured left thigh.
This event is part of our experimental Wireless Contemplation series. Each event is free, open to all and is connected to an influential figure in the cultural life of Fitzrovia.
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Congratulations to George and to Daisy who got married in the chapel this summer. We love these images of the day taken by photographer Jessy Papasavva Photography as they show just how special and individual the occasion can be, crafted by the personalities of the people involved.

We were proud to be the venue for weekend concerts debuting the work of Dr Joseph Sonnabend, music written at the height of the AIDS epidemic in NYC.
Organiser Ash Kotak says: 'The music is a mix between 60s experimental and Broadway: unique, contradictory, moving and sometimes painfully dramatic, a reflection of the time.'
More information at AIDS Memory UK Campaign.

'The day he died it seemed like the whole country came to a stop. Everywhere you went the fact that Peter had died seemed like an umbrella over everything.' Burt Kwouk
Actor, comedian and singer Peter Sellers died in the former Middlesex Hospital, Fitzrovia, at midnight on 24 July 1980. He has been described as 'the greatest comic genius this country has produced since Charles Chaplin'. Come and hear some of the pieces that made him such a beloved and respected performer.
This is a free event at 13:00 on Friday 20 July at the Fitzrovia Chapel, Pearson Square, W1T 3BF. The chapel used to be part of the former hospital. We are open every Wednesday, and once a month for Wireless Contemplation.

'The day he died it seemed like the whole country came to a stop. Everywhere you went the fact that Peter had died seemed like an umbrella over everything.' Burt Kwouk
Actor, comedian and singer Peter Sellers died in the former Middlesex Hospital at midnight on 24 July 1980. Come and hear some of the pieces that made him such a beloved and respected performer.

Thanks very much to The Orwell Society for posting details of this Friday's Wireless Contemplation event at the chapel. Everyone is welcome to come and meet Big Brother and hear his messages to the world.

This image may be the best way of celebrating George Orwell's 115th birthday today. We make no comment other than it packs an Orwellian punch, for sure. We will also be toasting the great man on Friday when we present 1984 as part of our free Wireless Contemplation series. It begins at 13:00 and everyone is most welcome.

If you're enjoying your lunch in or around Pearson Square today, do pop into the chapel to have a look. We are open between 11:00 and 16:00 for our free open day and have knowledgeable volunteers on hand to answer your questions about our history.

Congratulations to Max who won our guess-the number-of-stars-on-our-ceiling competition. Max said, 'The chapel is amazing. It's one of my favourite places for looking at art in London.' So it turns out we have a glittering 553 stars on our golden ceiling. We're also really pleased that Max chose to wear the Grenfell T-shirt for the photo.

Do you have a piece of art in your home that's valuable to you? If you live in Fitzrovia, we would love to hear from you as we are planning our autumn exhibition. The cost of the piece doesn't matter. What is important is the story you tell about how it ended up in your heart and what beauty means to you. Please contact Madeleine at media@fitzroviachapel.org.

This is an excellent piece about why George Orwell's 1984 is really about now and is 'a handbook for difficult times'. 'Orwell understood that oppressive regimes always need enemies.'
Do come along to our free 1984 event on Friday 29 June at 13:00 to hear the power of its words for yourself. 'It's a beautiful thing, the destruction of words.'

'People from a planet without flowers would think we must be mad with joy the whole time to have such things about us.' - Irish Murdoch
We wanted to begin Tuesday by (virtually) sharing these stunning flowers from Sunday's party at the chapel. Thank to you to the lovely person who hired the chapel to celebrate their birthday and filled it with such gorgeousness.

Each chapel plaque has a story.
If you visit the chapel during today's open day, you can see the plaque dedicated to William Cayley MD. An interesting figure, according to Royal College of Physicians of London 'After postgraduate study of pathology at Vienna, he was appointed, in 1863, demonstrator of morbid anatomy at the Middlesex Hospital and, in 1870, assistant physician ... But he was reticent to a fault and lacking in the bedside manner and the capacity for small talk that often contribute to popular success. A lover of flowers and the classics, he was an expert mountaineer, spending his annual holidays in Switzerland and the Tyrol. A bachelor, non-smoker and teetotaller, he died in retirement at Richmond.'
We are open between 11:00 and 16:00 today.

Love this beautiful chapel - I used to drop in when visiting my mother in Middlesex Hospital. I revisited it on Open House Day in 2015 after it had been wonderfully restored. It is secular, and holds lots of events and activities. I went there recently to see Stephanie Quayle's inspiring Jenga - it is an ideal place for such exhibits. It is on my list of favourite places to drop into, and to check on what is happening there. Jennifer