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a 1,300-year-old saint's hand

St Etheldreda's & the Saint's Hand

FreeHidden gem
Holborn · Farringdon
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One of England's oldest Catholic churches, tucked down a Holborn lane, home to the mummified hand of a 7th-century princess-saint.

Getting there. Down Ely Place off Charterhouse Street in Holborn, a short walk from Farringdon.
Free historic church
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Holborn · Farringdon
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The lowdown

Hidden down the private gated lane of Ely Place is St Etheldreda's, one of the oldest Catholic churches in England and one of only two surviving buildings in London from the reign of Edward I. Once the chapel of the Bishops of Ely, it dates from around 1290 and somehow survived the Reformation, the Great Fire and the Blitz.

Its most startling treasure is a relic, the preserved hand of St Etheldreda herself, a seventh-century princess and abbess, displayed in the church. Between the ancient crypt, the glowing modern stained glass and the relic, it is a free and deeply atmospheric pocket of medieval London hiding in plain sight.

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The insider tip

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Find the discreet entrance on Ely Place, an old private road with its own gates. Look for the reliquary holding the saint's hand, and step down into the medieval crypt below, both free.
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