Recent developments
The passing years have seen significant changes in a church that has witnessed a musical tradition independent of the Abbey, has welcomed worshippers including John Milton and Samuel Pepys, and celebrated great occasions in the life of the nation and Commonwealth including a service of thanksgiving on VE Day.
A Quincentenary
Easter Day 2023 marked the five hundredth anniversary of the consecration of the present church building. A first church was built on this site in the 12th century as the monastic community made particular provision to serve a Christian community who wanted to gather at the Abbey. By the mid-fourteenth century, it needed repair and a hundred and fifty years later something more drastic was necessary. A new building was consecrated in September 1523. This church was a place where voices from beyond the monastic community could be heard. It has been a parish church and also became the focus of a significant ministry to the House of Commons.
In recent years, a close association with The Speaker of the House of Commons has been sustained alongside a recognition that the church now serves the whole parliamentary estate.