St Paul's Churchyard, Covent Garden

St Paul's Church was built in 1631-33, the work of Inigo Jones, who in 1631 had been commissioned by the 4th Earl of Bedford to design the square with chapel, mansions and four surrounding streets. Consecrated in 1638, St Paul's was the first Anglican church to be built on a new site in London since the Reformation. Restoration works took place in 1788 by Thomas Hardwick, and in 1872 by William Butterfield. Its much-admired eastern gateways on the Piazza are mentioned in early records but these were replaced by a dwarf wall and iron railings in the early C18th. It is possible that the decorative ironwork gates of early C18th character were provided for these gateways in 1714-15. Originally, like the other gateways into the churchyard, the eastern entrances were furnished with wooden doors. Iron gates of the same character still survive in the southern and northern entrances on Henrietta Street and King Street. In 1730 these southern and northern entrances were rebuilt and new iron gates were provided in 1788 and again in 1880. Within the churchyard, wooden posts and rails were provided in 1677-9, two of the posts being surmounted by carved figures. The wooden rails were renewed in 1714 and 1740 and they were replaced by iron railings in 1770.

The graveyard originally surrounded the church on 3 sides. A mid C17th view of St Paul's Churchyard by Wenceslas Hollar shows no trees but by 1680 a vine required pruning and by 1690 rows of trees had been planted. In 1720 John Strype writes: 'Coming out of Bedford Street is a very handsome walk, with a freestone pavement, and Pallisado Pales on each side, leading into the church, through the midst of the churchyard. The lime walk is out of Henrietta Street, and King's Street, with rows of trees; which, when grown to maturity, will be very ornamental.' In 1732 limes were planted, and other limes and elms in 1740 and 1759. In 1853 the ground was closed to burials, following the Burial Act of that year that prohibited burials in the centre of London, and in 1855 the tombstones were removed or laid flat. In 1877 records show that it was intended to plant poplars in the churchyard but evidently this was not done. Between 1878 - 1882 the churchyard was altered under the direction of Messrs. Cubitt; the ground west of the church was re-levelled and remodelled. Part of the graveyard was lost to provide a gentlemen's public convenience to the south-east of the church, and to make other improvements to security and sanitation. Raised flower areas and gas light standards were installed in 1878. For both security and sanitation purposes the churchyard was set back from the adjacent houses. The present iron gates into Bedford Street probably date from this period. In the early C20th the churchyard was evidently still being cared for by gardeners employed by the Bedford Estate, as in 1918 the rector was informed they would no longer be doing so, the estate being sold. The stone gateways have recently been rebuilt.

St Paul's is nicknamed The Actors' Church due to the long theatrical history of the neighbourhood. Theatre Royal Drury Lane opened in 1663 and Covent Garden Theatre, now the Royal Opera House, in 1723. Samuel Pepys recorded seeing 'an Italian puppet play' in the church portico on 9 May 1662, a forerunner of 'Punch and Judy', and St Paul's has an annual Punch and Judy festival each May. There are dedications to numerous theatrical figures in the church including Charlie Chaplin, Noel Coward, Gracie Fields, Vivien Leigh, Ivor Novello and Richard Beckensale, and the ashes of Ellen Terry and Dame Edith Evans were buried here. Among other famous people buried here are Samuel Butler, Grinling Gibbons, whose fine altar survived a disastrous fire in the church in 1795, and composer Thomas Arne; J M W Turner was baptised here, as was W S Gilbert of Gilbert & Sullivan. The first known victim of the Plague of 1665, Margaret Ponteous, was also buried at St Paul's Covent Garden. Research indicates that there were on average 120 burials every year, apart from 1665 when 338 burials took place, largely due to the bubonic plague of that year.