Corpus Christi, Maiden Lane
the actors' hidden chapel
A hidden Victorian Catholic church a step off the Strand, free and open daily, an oasis of calm in Covent Garden long loved by actors from the surrounding theatres.
Free to visit · Covent Garden · Covent Garden · WC2E 7NB
Opening: Daily · roughly 7:30am to 7pm · check times
You could blink and miss it. Corpus Christi sits on narrow Maiden Lane behind the Strand, a modest Victorian brick front that hides a glowing Gothic interior, and it is free and open every day. It was opened in 1874 by Cardinal Manning, designed by F H Pownall, with its floor sunk below street level to keep the neighbours happy.
Wedged among the theatres of Covent Garden, it became known as the Catholic actors' church and is still the base of the Catholic Stage Guild, with players from the nearby stages slipping in between shows. Graham Greene wove it into his novel The End of the Affair.
In 2018 it was lavishly restored and made the Westminster Diocesan Shrine of the Blessed Sacrament. For a church this central, this beautiful and this calm, the fact that it costs nothing feels like a small Covent Garden secret.
Getting there: On Maiden Lane off Southampton Street, just north of the Strand, two minutes from Covent Garden.
Best time to go: Slip in midweek for total quiet a few steps from the Covent Garden crowds.
Insider tip: It is steps from the chaos of Covent Garden but almost always silent inside. A perfect free five minutes to reset between sights.
Official site: https://corpuschristimaidenlane.org.uk
Free things to do in London · London Free Guide