Description
St Katharine's Precinct was built in 1826-8 and was originally the Royal Hospital of St Katharine, founded in 1148 by Queen Matilda and later known as the Hospital of St Katharine. It occupied a site near the Tower of London before moving to Regent's Park, where a new Chapel together with other collegiate buildings were built. The Foundation moved back to East London in 1948, and St Katharine's College Chapel was granted to the Danish community in London for its Lutheran Church. There is landscaping in front of the chapel, with trees and shrubs, and an area of lawn containing the stone monument surrounded by gravel driveway. Further garden areas to east
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Danish Lutheran Church |
|---|---|
| Site location | Outer Circle, Regent's Park |
| Postcode | NW1 4HH |
| What3Words | ///jams.aura.drift |
| Type of Site | Housing/Estate Landscaping |
| Borough | Camden |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | private, but publicly accessible |
| Public Transport | Rail/London Overground/Tube(Northern/Victoria):Euston.Tube:Camden Town (Northern), Great Portland St, Euston Sq (Metropolitan, Hammersmith & City, Circle), Regent's Park (Bakerloo) |
| Research Updated | 1 July 2002 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
St Katharine's Precinct was built in the 1820s. The Chapel was originally built for the Royal Hospital of St Katharine, a religious hospice founded in 1148 by Queen Matilda and later known as the Hospital of St Katharine, originally occupying a site near the Tower of London. In 1825 that site was required for the building of St Katharine's Dock and the hospice moved to Regent's Park, where a new Chapel together with other collegiate buildings were designed in 1826-1828 by Ambrose Poynter. St Katharine's College Chapel was granted to the Danish community in London for its Lutheran Church by Queen Alexandra, the Danish wife of Edward VII, the patronage of the chapel having always rested with the Queen of England. Inside the church are two late C17th figures of Moses and John the Baptist by Caius Cibber, which were brought from the former Danish Seamen's Mission in Wellclose Square, Commercial Road in East London. In c.1950 a number of the church fittings and monuments were removed to the Tower of London and St Katharine's Foundation, which had moved back to Butcher's Row, East London in 1948. The chapel was restored in 1969.
Unlike the surrounding terraces of Outer Circle, the buildings within St Katharine's Precinct are predominantly grey brick with stone dressings. Flanking the Chapel are the Pastor's House and St Katharine's Hall and other collegiate buildings of the Royal Hospital of St Katharine, which are now private houses. Nos. 1-3 and 6-8 are linked to the chapel, the Pastor's House and St Katharine's Hall by an arcaded screen wall. The frontage of the Precinct onto the Outer Circle has cast-iron railings with box gate piers and lamp posts that date from c.1828, as does the stone monument in front of the chapel, a sculpted column on a hexagonal stepped base surrounded by cast-iron rail within an area of grass. In the grounds is a replica of the Jelling Stone, a runic monument set up at Jelling in Denmark by King Harald Bluetooth, who reigned from 940-985. It commemorated his parents and the country's conversion to Christianity.
Unlike the surrounding terraces of Outer Circle, the buildings within St Katharine's Precinct are predominantly grey brick with stone dressings. Flanking the Chapel are the Pastor's House and St Katharine's Hall and other collegiate buildings of the Royal Hospital of St Katharine, which are now private houses. Nos. 1-3 and 6-8 are linked to the chapel, the Pastor's House and St Katharine's Hall by an arcaded screen wall. The frontage of the Precinct onto the Outer Circle has cast-iron railings with box gate piers and lamp posts that date from c.1828, as does the stone monument in front of the chapel, a sculpted column on a hexagonal stepped base surrounded by cast-iron rail within an area of grass. In the grounds is a replica of the Jelling Stone, a runic monument set up at Jelling in Denmark by King Harald Bluetooth, who reigned from 940-985. It commemorated his parents and the country's conversion to Christianity.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ286832 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 0.1272 |
| Site Ownership | The Crown Estate |
| Site Management | Crown Estate Paving Commission |
| Dates | 1826-28 |
| Designers | Ambrose Poynter (buildings) |
| Listed Structures | LBII*: The Danish Church; Nos.1-3 and 6-9 (Consecutive) and attached railings; The Pastor's House (No 4), St Katharine's Hall (No 5) and attached screen walls. LBII: Forecourt railings and lamps; monument in courtyard |
| On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens | No |
| Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965 | No |
| Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931 | No |
| Local Authority | Camden |
| In Conservation Area | Yes |
| Conservation Area Name | Regent's Park |
| Tree Preservation Order | Not known |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | Yes - Area of Special Character: Central London Area |
| Other LA Designation | Private Open Space. Strategic View Corridor |
Please note the Inventory and its content are provided for your general information only and are subject to change. It is your responsibility to check the accuracy.
Nearby parks and gardens
The terrace of Gloucester Gate is separated from Outer Circle by a private roadway and a long narrow garden enclosure with shrubbery and mature trees. Originally called Gloucester Terrace, it was built in 1827 as part of John Nash's plan of 1811 to develop the Crown Estate lands as a fashionable residential area, with the backing of the Prince Regent, later George IV. Authorisation had been given in 1794 for developing the land, once part of Henry VIII's hunting park but by then leased mainly as farmland, which was due to revert to the Crown in 1811. Gloucester Terrace was named for George III's daughter Mary who was married to William Duke of Gloucester.
Two long narrow enclosures laid out as a private communal garden form the common frontage to Cumberland Terrace, the grand terrace designed by John Nash and James Thomson as part of Nash's plan of 1811 to develop the Crown Estate lands as a fashionable residential area, with the backing of the Prince Regent, later George IV. Authorisation had been given in 1794 for developing the land, once part of Henry VIII's hunting park but by then leased mainly as farmland, which was due to revert to the Crown in 1811. Cumberland Terrace, named after George III's son Ernest, King of Hanover and Duke of Cumberland, resembles a palace overlooking the landscape of Regent's Park and would have faced the King's pleasure palace in the park if it had been built.
* on The National Heritage List for England, Parks & Gardens
Although the majority of Regent's Park is in Westminster, a small part is in LB Camden, being the strip to the east of the Broad Walk, which forms the borough boundary. South of Chester Road this wide path passes through a formal Italian Garden, with an informal English Garden to the east, both dating from 1861-64 and restored since 1996. The Regent's Park was laid out between 1812-30 to designs of John Nash as a fashionable estate of fine villas and terraces set in a private landscaped park. Named for the Prince Regent, the land had been part of the Crown Estate since 1539. While details of Nash's plan were much modified, the overall conception was, and remains, his own. Although some areas remain in separate use and ownership, part of the park had been opened to the public in 1835 and today the majority of the park is accessible. During WWI part of the park including the strip to the east was requisitioned by the Ministry of Defence for a military camp and drill ground, restored to public use after the war. See Westminster entry for the majority of the park's features.
Although the majority of Regent's Park is in Westminster, a small part is in LB Camden, being the strip to the east of the Broad Walk, which forms the borough boundary. South of Chester Road this wide path passes through a formal Italian Garden, with an informal English Garden to the east, both dating from 1861-64 and restored since 1996. The Regent's Park was laid out between 1812-30 to designs of John Nash as a fashionable estate of fine villas and terraces set in a private landscaped park. Named for the Prince Regent, the land had been part of the Crown Estate since 1539. While details of Nash's plan were much modified, the overall conception was, and remains, his own. Although some areas remain in separate use and ownership, part of the park had been opened to the public in 1835 and today the majority of the park is accessible. During WWI part of the park including the strip to the east was requisitioned by the Ministry of Defence for a military camp and drill ground, restored to public use after the war. See Westminster entry for the majority of the park's features.
