Chelsea Old Church

There was a Norman church on this site in 1157, but it was not named All Saints' Church until 1290. The north chapel originally belonged to the Lord of the Manor of Chelsea and dates from about 1325. Sir Thomas More rebuilt the South Chapel in 1528 for his own private worship. In the sanctuary is a monument to Sir Thomas More, whose head, after his execution in 1535, was buried in Canterbury. The church was badly damaged in the Blitz of 1941 and was restored by the architect Walter Godfrey on its old foundations.

For a note on the artist see lot 66.