Description
St Pancras Church was built as the new parish church when a larger building was needed than the medieval parish church, now known as St Pancras Old Church. The earliest Greek Revival church in London, its design was influenced by St Martin-in-the-Fields and by the Erechtheion on the Acropolis in Athens. The tower recalls the Tower of the Winds, and the sets of 4 caryatids are copies from the Erechtheion. The church has landscaping to the boundary railings with Euston Road, and an area of garden south of the church where a sculpture has been installed in memory of victims of 7 July 2005 bombings.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | St Pancras New Church |
|---|---|
| Site location | Upper Woburn Place/Euston Road |
| Postcode | NW1 2BA |
| What3Words | ///simply.fries.chins |
| Type of Site | Churchyard |
| Borough | Camden |
| Open to Public | Occasionally |
| Opening Times | garden locked but visible; church open for services, concerts, events (call church office for other times) |
| Events | Concert, lectures and other events in church. The Crypt Gallery has regular art exhibitions (www.cryptgallery.org.uk) |
| Public Transport | Rail/London Overground/Tube (Northern, Victoria): Euston. Bus: 10, 18, 30, 68, 73, 91, 168, 205, 253. |
| Research Updated | 1 February 2010 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
St Pancras Church was built as the new parish church for St Pancras when a larger building was needed than the existing old parish church, which stands today within St Pancras Gardens (q.v.). The ancient parish was a large one, extending as far as Kenwood (q.v.) until 1868 when it was split into 32 separate parishes. However, by the early C19th the old church 'in the fields' was not considered appropriate for the new inhabitants of the Bedford Estate that was developed south of what is now Euston Road. Initially the St Pancras Vestry opposed the building of a new church due to the cost but in 1816 an Act of Parliament allowed £40,000 to be borrowed for the purpose and a site was purchased in 1818 from the Southampton Estate. Thirty designs were put forward, and that of local architect William Inwood and his son Henry was selected. The foundation stone, which is in the crypt, was laid by Frederick, Duke of York and Albany on 1 July 1819 and the magnificent new church was completed by 1822, consecrated by the Bishop of London on 7 May. It was the most expensive church built in London since St Paul's Cathedral was rebuilt.
Faced in Portland stone with stone coloured terracotta detailing, St Pancras was the earliest Greek Revival church in London, its design influenced by that of St Martin-in-the-Fields (q.v.), and also by the Ionic Temple of the Erechtheion on the Acropolis in Athens, the tower recalling the 'Tower of the Winds'. The two sets of four caryatids, copies from the caryatid porch of the Erechtheion, were built to serve as vestries at the entrance to the burial vaults. Made in terracotta around cast-iron columns, they are the work of John Rossi, who worked at Coade's Manufactory.
The crypt was used for burials until St Pancras Cemetery (q.v.) opened in 1854, and during WWI and WWII served as an air-raid shelter. The church was later restored in 1951-3, at which time the original Corinthian finial and cross at the top of the tower was replaced, deemed to be dangerous. The church is bounded by railings, those along Euston Road enclosing an area of grass with some flowers and a number of trees. South of the church is another area of garden largely grass, where a sculpture in onyx by Emily Young has been installed. It depicts the head of Archangel Michael, and has a plaque inscribed: 'In memory of the victims of the 7th July 2005 bombings and all victims of violence. 'I will lift up my eyes unto the hills' Psalm 121'.
Faced in Portland stone with stone coloured terracotta detailing, St Pancras was the earliest Greek Revival church in London, its design influenced by that of St Martin-in-the-Fields (q.v.), and also by the Ionic Temple of the Erechtheion on the Acropolis in Athens, the tower recalling the 'Tower of the Winds'. The two sets of four caryatids, copies from the caryatid porch of the Erechtheion, were built to serve as vestries at the entrance to the burial vaults. Made in terracotta around cast-iron columns, they are the work of John Rossi, who worked at Coade's Manufactory.
The crypt was used for burials until St Pancras Cemetery (q.v.) opened in 1854, and during WWI and WWII served as an air-raid shelter. The church was later restored in 1951-3, at which time the original Corinthian finial and cross at the top of the tower was replaced, deemed to be dangerous. The church is bounded by railings, those along Euston Road enclosing an area of grass with some flowers and a number of trees. South of the church is another area of garden largely grass, where a sculpture in onyx by Emily Young has been installed. It depicts the head of Archangel Michael, and has a plaque inscribed: 'In memory of the victims of the 7th July 2005 bombings and all victims of violence. 'I will lift up my eyes unto the hills' Psalm 121'.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ298825 |
|---|---|
| Site Ownership | St Pancras Church, Church of England |
| Site Management | St Pancras Church, Church of England |
| Dates | 1822 |
| Designers | Church: William and Henry Inwood |
| Listed Structures | LBI: St Pancras Church |
| 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 | Bloomsbury |
| 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 |
Gallery
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
Euston Square does not currently exist as a garden square, temporarily built over as part of the Government's HS2 rail scheme of which Euston Station is the London Terminus. The garden square was laid out in the early C19th on the site of the Bedford Nursery Ground. It formed two rectangular strips either side of New Road, built as a cattle route to Smithfield Market and later renamed Euston Road. The southern side of Euston Square became Endsleigh Gardens in 1880 and only the northern part survives as a garden, enclosed by railings, with grass and mature London plane trees. Euston Station opened in 1837 and was enlarged over the next decades. The two lodges, inscribed with names of stations served by the London and North Western Railway, date from c.1870 and were once at the station entrance. They are now the only survivors of the formal 1870 layout, which was replaced by the new station in 1968. Following completion of HS2, the historic gardens are due to be reinstated.
The Friends House was built between 1924-27 as the headquarters for the Religious Society of Friends, an award-winning design by Quaker architect Hubert Lidbetter. The site had previously included private open space of Endsleigh Gardens, and from an early stage the plans for the new building incorporated a garden to the east of the Meeting House. This is enclosed by a low Portland stone wall with railings on the north and south side and is laid out with two square lawns with a central path and roses, shrubs to the north and south, and a magnolia tree alongside Euston Road.
The site was that of Tavistock House and grounds, built in 1796 and demolished c.1900, once the home of Charles Dickens. The buildings occupied by the British Medical Association were originally designed for the British Theosophical Society by Sir Edwin Lutyens in 1911-14. The unfinished site was acquired by the BMA in 1923 and Lutyens again worked on the project until 1925, when the new headquarters opened, although later additions were made by others. Lutyens' work included the rear Council Garden, his design comprising a semi-circular terrace and oval pool that echoed the geometry and clarity of his architectural style. He also designed a memorial garden in the Court of Honour but this was re-configured in 1954 with a bronze fountain in a circular pool, flanked by figurative stone sculptures representing Sacrifice, Cure, Prevention and Aspiration. Planting in the Council Garden includes a fine Catalpa and a collection of plants with medicinal properties.
