Hidden in the cul-de-sac of Ely Place, at Holborn, St Etheldreda's is a rare remnant of the former London palace of the Bishops of Ely. A former medieval private chapel, it comes through the Renaissance as the heart of an estate coveted by the queen's favourites — until it bequeathed its name to a whole district.
The chapel of the Ely palace
Built around 1290 by John de Kirkeby, Bishop of Ely, the chapel served as the private sanctuary of the Bishops of Ely's London residence, one of those great ecclesiastical mansions that lined Holborn. It remained in use as an episcopal chapel until 1570. A medieval building in its architecture — upper chapel and crypt, traceried windows, archbishops' arms — it takes its place in our atlas through its uses and its figures of Tudor and Elizabethan times.
The favourite Hatton and his garden
In 1576, Bishop Richard Cox leased part of the house and lands of the estate to Sir Christopher Hatton, one of the favourites of Elizabeth I, a brilliant dancer become Lord Chancellor. It is from this great figure that the neighbouring district takes its name: Hatton Garden, today famous for its jewellers. In the early seventeenth century, the chapel briefly served as a Spanish embassy chapel and a refuge for English Catholics, in the tense climate of the post-Reformation. To see: the medieval upper chapel and crypt, the traceried windows and the archbishops' arms (including Simon Langham).
Did you know?
London's diamond district, Hatton Garden, owes its name to a dancer: Christopher Hatton is said to have charmed Elizabeth I by his elegance at the ball before becoming Lord Chancellor. The queen had her favourite granted, in 1576, the lease of the Bishop of Ely's gardens — and the courtier's name has stayed on the map.
Notes
St Etheldreda's lies at Ely Place, Holborn; a working Catholic church (returned to Catholic worship in 1874), open to visit. Near Hatton Garden.
Quiz
- Whose chapel was St Etheldreda's?
- The Bishops of Ely
- The Kings of France
- The Templars
- Which favourite of Elizabeth leased the estate in 1576?
- Sir Christopher Hatton
- Robert Dudley
- Walter Raleigh
- Which district takes its name from this favourite?
- Hatton Garden
- Covent Garden
- Leicester Square