St Anne’s

What kind of church requires an act of Parliament just to be built? This, my friends, is St Anne’s, a church so deeply ingrained in the history of Soho that its very existence has been intertwined with the whims of monarchs and the devastation of war. The story of St Anne’s begins in 1677, not amidst grand cathedrals and towering spires, but in the quiet countryside of Soho Fields. This was a time when Soho was still finding its footing, a world away from the bustling district we know today. William Talman, perhaps with a touch of Christopher Wren’s genius, designed a church that would mirror the aspirations of a burgeoning parish: a sturdy basilican structure, 80 feet long and crowned with a 70-foot tower. The church was named for Princess Anne, a tribute from Bishop Henry Compton, her former tutor. St Anne’s, however, was not destined for a peaceful existence. The church we see today is not the original. The Blitz of World War II left St Anne’s a smoldering ruin, its tower standing defiant amidst the ashes. Years passed, and the ruins stood silent until a remarkable thing happened. London, in its wisdom, decided that Soho would not succumb to the scars of war. St Anne’s would rise again. In 1965, another act of Parliament paved the way for its rebirth. It was a phoenix from the flames, reimagined and rebuilt for a new century, yet still echoing with the spirit of its namesake and the resilience of its community.