Church of the Annunciation
a soaring secret off oxford street
A plain brick exterior just off Oxford Street hides a soaring, richly decorated Anglo-Catholic interior, free to visit and almost always empty.
Free to visit · Marble Arch · Marble Arch · W1H 7AH
Opening: Open select hours · check before visiting
Minutes from the shopping crush of Oxford Street and Marble Arch, on quiet Bryanston Street, stands a church most Londoners have never noticed. The Church of the Annunciation hides behind a deliberately plain brick wall, then opens inside into a tall, narrow, richly worked Gothic interior that feels far bigger than the building should allow.
It was completed in 1914 to a design by Sir Walter Tapper, in the lavish Anglo-Catholic tradition, all soaring stone arches, gilding and deep quiet. It is free to step into, and because so few people know it is there you will often have the place entirely to yourself, a still pocket of calm in one of the busiest corners of the West End.
Getting there: On Bryanston Street, a couple of minutes from Marble Arch and the western end of Oxford Street.
Best time to go: A weekday lunchtime, when you can have the whole lofty nave to yourself.
Insider tip: Opening hours can be limited, so try a weekday around the middle of the day. The contrast with Oxford Street a block away is the whole magic.
Free things to do in London · London Free Guide