Riding the 214 bus recently to Kentish Town, we passed the historic church now known as St Pancras Old Church. This brought it into my mind and, as I had not visited it for some time, I decided to do so today.

Accordingly, I took a 214 bus to the first stop after St Pancras Station, called Chenies Place. From this stop, you already have a glimpse of the church amongst the greenery on the other side of the road. No

A glimpse of the church amongst the greenery

The greenery is that of what was once the church’s burial ground, now landscaped as a public garden.

Entrance with steps

In Pancras Road, where you arrive with the bus, there are two entrances to the church grounds. The first, and larger, is fronted by a flight of steps. The gateway is wrought iron, currently painted black with the decorations picked out in gold. This is the nearer gate to the church itself.

The carriage entrance

The second entrance is on a level with the road and was no doubt intended to provide the way in for funeral carriages. Its gate too is intricately fashioned and painted in black and gold.

A park with broad paths

The gate leads you into the old burial ground, now a park or garden with broad paths. Most of the gravestones have been removed though quite a few of the larger tombs have been left in place. The result it a pleasant green area in which to stroll or sit on a bench. The historically-minded might like to try deciphering the inscriptions in the remaining tombs!

Grass and trees

The garden is composed mainly of grassy areas and trees with benches placed at intervals.

Mature old trees

Many of the trees are very old and huge in size. There has been a church here since the 11th century and possibly earlier, so the trees have had plenty of time to grow!

The Burdett-Coutts Memorial Sundial

An elaborate structure that attracts immediate attention is the Grade II* listed Burdett-Coutts Memorial Sundial, built in 1877-79. It was donated by philanthropist Baroness Burdett-Coutts as a memorial to those whose graves had been removed when part of the burial ground had been destroyed to make way for the new railway.

One of two lions

The memorial is set in a fairly large enclosure with stone animals guarding the four corners. Two of these are lions, one of which is shown above, while a third one has a damaged head, making it hard to identify but is possibly a dog.

Guardian dog

The fourth guardian animal is recognisably a dog. It is believed that one of the figures was modelled on the Baroness’s collie dog, though whether that is true and, if so, whether that refers to the canine in the photo or to the damaged animal, I do not know.

William Thornton Drinking Fountain

A further piece of furniture for the garden is a Grade II listed cast-iron drinking fountain. Also of 1877, it was presented by William Thornton, a senior church warden.

As mentioned above, part of the church grounds were sliced off in order to make room for the new railway line that was being constructed. This necessitated exhuming the residents of the graves hitherto occupying that section and the removal of the gravestones.

The “Hardy Tree”

The gruesome task fell to a younger member of the architectural staff, a certain Thomas Hardy, who would later acquire fame as a poet and novelist but who was at this juncture employed as a junior of the firm of architects responsible for this work. Hardy collected the removed gravestones and placed them beside a tree. Perhaps he intended to move them elsewhere later but, if so, that later never arrived, and the stones remain in the custody of what has become known as the “Hardy Tree”.

A landscape of tombs

Quite a number of the larger and more elaborate tombs have been left in situ (indicating, perhaps, that wealth has its prerogatives, even among the dead). One of these, grander than all the rest, has a fame of its own.

Family tomb of Sir John Soane

This is the Grade I listed family tomb of Sir John Soane, architect of, among other notable structures, the Bank of England. He designed the tomb in 1816 on the death of his wife.

Soane family tomb, side view

Sir John himself and, later, his son, also found accommodation within.

Magnificent tree with bench

I admired this huge tree with a circular bench around it. It is an example, albeit an outstanding one, of the many superb trees in this garden.

St Pancras Old Church

I mentioned that there is evidence of a church on this site from no later than the 11th century. The site possibly held a Roman temple before the Christians took possession if it. Some Norman fabric is still visible in the walls of the current structure which dates from extensive rebuilding in 1847-8. You can find more about its history in its Grade II* listing and in the many pages dedicated to it online, such as this Wikipedia article.

St Pancras Old Church

But why is it called St Pancras Old Church? By the end of the 18th century, owing to population movement away from the area, the church had fallen into disuse and was virtually a ruin. In the early years of the 19th century, another St Pancras Church was built not very far away. By virtue of this fact, once rescued, this church became known as old to distinguish it from its new rival. The latter, incidentally still exists and functions today.

Hiding among the foliage

I should perhaps have paid my visit in the dead of winter when the trees were bare and it would have been easier to see the church but, in a way, the symbiosis of the church and the trees make it what it is, to me at least.

A last look

The church that nearly went out of existence in the 18th century and was replaced by a namesake, still survives. As church attendance continues to decline and churches are being decommissioned, there must be a question mark over the future of any still functioning church. What is the future of St Pancras Old Church? We can but wait and see.

Final vista

I took a last photo of the garden, a vista towards the Burdett-Coutts sundial, and then made for the bus stop.

At home, I made tea and wrote this post. Tonight I shall meet Tigger at the bus stop and we will cross the road to the Banana Tree restaurant and order a takeaway dinner. Thus starts our weekend!