We are a welcome space
Here at Holy Sepulchre, we want to be a welcoming place for all. In addition to our various regular and occasional church services, concerts, and events, we have many regular opportunities to gather together, including Musicali-tea, Communi-tea, our Friday lunchtime concert series, Saturday adult autism activity days, and more!
Events Schedule
MUSICALI-TEA 2025
2025 Guides
Thursday 9 January - Robert Stephenson, Guide
Thursday 16 January - Murray Craig, Guide
Thursday 23 January – Kim Lovell, Guide
Thursday 30 January – Andy Ellis, Guide
Thursday 6 February – Alison Woollard, Guide
Thursday 13 February – Sally Horton, Guide
Thursday 20 February – Hugh Dennis, Guide
Thursday 27 February - Robert Stephenson, Guide
Thursday 6 March – Nikki Druce, Guide
Thursday 13 March – Richard Smart, Guide, Christain Aid
Thursday 20 March – David Evans, Guide
Thursday 27 March – Mario Beneventi, Guide
Thursday 3 April – Lester Hillman, Guide
Thursday 10 April – Michelle Greer, Guide
Thursday 17 April – Songhaven Collaboration for Easter/Spring - CANCELLED
Easter Break
Thursday 1 May – Sally Horton, Guide - CANCELLED
Thursday 8 May - VE Day 80th Anniversary - Jill Finch, Guide
15 May - Murray Craig, Guide
22 May – Andy Ellis, Guide
29 May – Mario Beneventi, Guide
5 June – Kim Lovell, Guide
12 June - Songhaven Collaboration for Carers’ Week (no Guide)
Summer Break
4 September - Sally Horton, Guide
11 September – Andy Ellis, Guide
18 September – Kim Lovell, Guide
25 September - Lester Hillman, Guide
2 October - Songhaven Collaboration for AgeUK Silver Sunday (no Guide)
9 October - Murray Craig, Guide
16 October – Rob Jeffries, Guide
23 October – Sally Horton, Guide
30 October – Mario Beneventi, Guide
6 November – Alexandra Epps, Guide
13 November – Alison Woollard, Guide
20 November – Tony Hollingworth, Guide
27 November – Michele Greer, Guide
4 December – Pat Honey, Guide
11 December - Songhaven Christmas Concert and Guide - Jill Finch
2025 Musicians
9th January Ben Goodman (Jazz piano)
16th January Sheshat Duo
23rd January Francisco Couto
30th January Harp/Flute Duo - Natalie Lo and Sandrine Jones
6th February Emily Han (Piano)
13th February Emilija Karaliute (Zither)
20th February Anastasia Barabanova
27th February Abhisri Chauduri and Eyra Norman (Pianist and Soprano)
6th March Katy Taylor, Flute and Jingyuan Zhang, Piano
13th March Rachel Howie, Latitude Duo
20th March Lara Cucic and the Boreas Trio
27th March - Sabine Sergejeva, Violin
3rd April Rachael Shipard, Pianist
10th April Masha Soboleva, Soprano
17th April Songhaven - CANCELLED
Easter Break
1st May Catriona Mackenzie, Pianist- CANCELLED
8th May VE Day - Katy Taylor, Flute, Yiyao Li, Piano and the HSL Community Choir
15th May Naomi Boot and Viviana Taga, Pianist and Singer
22nd May Andra Bacila, Pianist
29th May Lara Cucic, Pianist
5th June Lin Xu-Zhang, Pianist
12 June - Songhaven for National Carers’ Week
Summer Break
4th Sept Siyuan Xu and Jason Ma
11th Sept Andra Bacila, Pianist
18th Sept Emily Han
25 Sept - Paul Lamstaes
2 October - Songhaven for Silver Sunday
9th October - Sheshat Duo
16th October - Met Police Choir
23rd October -
30 October -
6th Nov
13th Nov Joanna Lam, Pianist
20th Nov
27th Nov
4th Dec - Met Police Choir
11 December – Songhaven Christmas Finale Concert
COMMUNI-TEA 2025:
Friday 10 January - Welcome Back / Introductions
Friday 17 January – Seated Chair Exercise with Sian
Friday 24 January - “My Treasures Talk” by Angela Kilmartin
Friday 31 January - Brass Rubbing around HSL with Kaya
Friday 7 February - Card making and crochet practice
Friday 14 February - Seated Chair Exercise with Sian & Valentines
Friday 21 February - “Mudlarking Talk” by Kaya, and Daffodil Watercolour
Friday 28 February – Crochet Session
Friday 7 March – Easter Baskets
Friday 14 March – Seated Chair Exercise and Quiz with Sian
Friday 21 March – Wellbeing Walk with Janice Vale from Ramblers
Friday 28 March – “Gilbert & Sullivan Talk/Music by Hugh Dennis, City Guide
Friday 4 April – Seated Chair Exercise and Quiz with Sian / Easter Crafts
Friday 11 April – Easter Tea Party with special guest Debbie Weekes-Bernard, Deputy Mayor, London Assembly
Easter Break
Friday 9 May – Time for a Cuppa week for DementiaUK – cakes/brooch sale
Friday 16 May - Seated Chair Exercise and Quiz with Sian
Friday 23 May – Card crafting and Watercolour art
Friday 30 May - Grethe Hauge talk on Charles Dickens
Friday 6 June – Pianist, Chris Huckle (Theatre Songs)
Friday 13 June - Seated Chair Exercise and Quiz with Sian
Summer Break
Friday 5 September – Welcome back and planning ideas
Additional dates will be added soon, so please stay tuned for updates.
We also have a community choir! For more information, or to join in, click here
Lots of groups and organisations join in with us in making these special, including, The Metropolitan Police Choir, Age UK, City of London Guides, Songhaven UK, students from the Guildhall School of Music, the Royal Academy of Music and more!
Here’s what we’ve up to at Communi-tea in Autumn-Winter 2024
Friday 20 September - Forget me not crochet session for Alzheimer’s Awareness and Poppy crochet session for Remembrance
Friday 27 September - Coffee with a Copper, PC Andy Jacks and PC Ellis Howe
Friday 4 October - Celebrating older people Sing-along for Silver Sunday
Friday 11 October - Poppy Watercolour Art
Friday 18 October – History Talk and short Walk with Janice Vale
Friday 25 October – Coffee with a Copper, PC Andy Jacks and PC Ellis Howe
Friday 1 November – Remembrance Month Sing-along
Friday 8 November – Break – Private event in Church
Friday 15 November – Vikings in London Talk by Gertha Hague with Danish food
Friday 22 November – Christmas Art Session and St Ceceila’s Day
Friday 29 November – Advent Sing-along
Friday 6 December - Christmas Crafting for Market on 12 December
Friday 13 December - Met Police Choir Christmas Sing-along and Christmas Jumper Day
Friday 19 December - Christmas Party and Surprise
Here’s what we’ve up to at Musiali-tea in Autumn-Winter 2024
Thursday 5 September - Lester Hillman “Newgate in September 1666 Great Fire”
Thursday 12 September - Robert Stephenson “The Curious stones of London”
Thursday 19 September - Murray Craig “The Guildhall”
Thursday 26 September – Kevin Larder “How to be a Roman Londoner”
Thursday 10 October – Richard Smart, Christan Aid, “Blood in Smithfield”
Thursday 17 October – Rob Jeffries “A London Copper’s tools”
Thursday 24 October – Andy Ellis “Tower Bridge”
Thursday 31 October – Michelle Greer “Big Ben”
Thursday 7 November – Sally Horton “London Life - Samuel Pepys in 1666”
Thursday 14 November – Kim Lovell “Unique City”
Thursday 21 November – Alison Woollard “The Barbican”
Thursday 28 November – Mario Benevetti “Dick Whittington”
Thursday 5 December – Jill Finch “The City of London before and after the Great Fire”
Community Review
January – December 2024
We welcomed 1477 People at 42 Musicali-Tea events and 195 people at 14 Communi-Tea events
There has been a holistic cross-over of Communities all supporting each other:
Musicali-Tea and Communi-Tea guests have merged
Communi-Tea guests now attend Music at Hill
LAG guests attend and volunteer at Communi-Tea
Music at Hill Committee members support Communi-Tea with piano singalongs, history talks and support the HAC
2 HAC residents attended Communi-Tea event and engaged in art/music.
MUSICALI-TEA SUMMER SEASON 2024 REVIEW
The Musicali-Tea Summer Season ran from 18 April – 25 July 2024 providing a vital service for those in need of a welcoming space. A weekly music, history and sandwich lunch event for 25 guests at Holy Sepulchre. Oversubscribed weekly, with 5 spaces reserved to accommodate this.
447 guests attended (79 new attendees since last season)
44 Volunteers supported (3 from our volunteering poster advert, 6 stayed on after volunteering at the Hygiene Bank, 1 community officer from the local construction site, the Met police helped serve tea/coffee before performing). Our regular volunteers have a growing space on our notice board in the harmony zone and have all signed up to share skills for Communi-Tea.
2 new guests were reluctant to join, requesting to sit on the side, they now sit with other guests and will be attending Communi-Tea to share and teach their crochet skills.
Walk-in guests who had appointments at Barts Hospital were encouraged to stay and listen to music, 2 now attend weekly as part of their healing journey.
In June we collaborated with Songhaven (Dementia Friendly singing artists) to support National Carers Week. Local resident carers attended and have returned.
We provided themed weeks for St George’s Day in April, Action Dementia in May, D-Day in June and have plans for Alzheimer’s month in September, November Remembrance. Guests have commented verbally that they like to see this.
Our community relationships continue to grow, we have good connections with Age UK, City Carers, Holborn Community Centre, Fleet Street Quarter, Shoe Lane, Barbican and Guildhall Libraries, the Culture Mile Bid and the Museum of London. ThamesReach homeless centre have visited a Musicali with one of their residents. PC Andy Jacks, our designated Ward Officer, will be attending in September to chat with guests.
Guest Feedback:
Combination of face-to-face chat and nice food – a real pick me up
A diverse group of people who come together in a safe and inclusive setting
Made me very welcome, a hidden gem of a safe space.
Lovely welcome and event, will come every week.
The singing for me and the excellent care of us, thank you
Thank you so much for welcoming us today and being so supportive. It was a wonderful event to celebrate carers week. Due to her mental health problems my daughter has not been able to attend any concerts or plays, she used to go to regularly.
Join us!
If you would like to join us or find out more about any of our events, visit our ‘What’s on’ page using the button below, contact our Community Development Worker, Sarah Radford, sarah.radford@hsl.church, or pop in and speak to Fr. Nick or one of the team.
Get involved!
Why not come along and get involved? Would you like to volunteer to help at one of activities? Please email our Community Development Worker, Sarah Radford, sarah.radford@hsl.church, or visit our volunteering page. Sarah, Fr Nick, and the team look forward to welcoming you and getting to know you.
We are proud to be one of the first 100 Mayor of London’s Dementia Friendly venues.
We are grateful for those who have, or are, financially supporting us, including The Culture Mile BID, Landsec, GenerosCity, M&G, The Thomas Franks Foundation and Barchester’s Charitable Foundation.
If you would like to support our projects financially, please visit our giving page, or email Fr. Nick nick@hsl.church.
Location
Holy Sepulchre London
Holborn Viaduct
London
EC1A 2DQ
Opening Hours
Our general opening hours are as follows:
Monday - 11am to 3pm
Tuesday - 8.30am to 2.30pm
Wednesday - 8.30am to 6.30pm
Thursday 8.30am to 2.30pm
Friday - 10am to 3pm
Saturday -Hours may vary
Sunday - 10.30am to 4pm (Morning Service only)
Public transport
We are fortunate to be surrounded by excellent public transport options. The nearest stops are:
Bus – the number 8, 25, 46, 242, and 521 buses stop outside the church
Thameslink – we are opposite the north entrance of the City Thameslink
Central Line – St. Paul’s tube station is a 5 minute walk
District (south) and Circle Lines – Blackfriars is a 7 minute walk
District (north), Hammersmith & City, Metropolitan, and (soon) Crosslink – Farringdon station is a 7 minute walk
Car – Smithfield Car Park (£3/hr) is a 5 minute walk away and on a Sunday there are unregulated yellow lines and parking bays near by. Driving into the City midweek is not for the fa int-hearted though…