Holy Sepulchre Church, London

Step right up鈥攊f you dare鈥攆or the tale of Holy Sepulchre Church, once London鈥檚 unofficial countdown clock to the afterlife. Situated across from the notorious Newgate Prison, this church rang out more than hymns. Its bell tolled at 8 am to signal a particularly grim event: executions on the schedule. Charles Dickens himself took note in Oliver Twist, and when Dickens is watching, you know it's dark.

Before 1783, the show didn鈥檛 even happen at Newgate. The condemned were carted off to the London neighbourhood of Tyburn, parading past the Holy Sepulchre like a dread-filled float in the world鈥檚 worst parade. Tradition dictated a pit stop: each prisoner received a tiny bouquet of flowers鈥攁 subtle way of saying 鈥渟orry about the hanging鈥� in the form of a floral arrangement.

And then came the macabre tradition. For nearly 140 years, a bellman was employed to go through a tunnel connecting the church to Newgate on the night before an execution. With twelve bone-chilling double strikes of a handbell, he delivered a poetic wake-up call which said:
鈥淎ll you that in the condemned hold do lie,
Prepare you, for tomorrow you shall die;
Watch all and pray, the hour is drawing near
That you before the Almighty must appear;
Examine well yourselves, in time repent,
That you may not to eternal flames be sent:
And when Sepulchre's bell tomorrow tolls,
The Lord above have mercy on your souls.
Past twelve o'clock!鈥�

That tradition faded when Newgate Prison was torn down in 1902 to make way for the Old Bailey鈥攂ut the handbell, that grim little noisemaker, is still around, now peacefully displayed in a glass case inside the church.

These days, the Holy Sepulchre has lightened the mood considerably. Known as the 鈥淢usicians鈥� Church,鈥� it now hosts free lunchtime piano recitals, chamber music, and organ concerts that soothe rather than spook鈥攖hough the ghosts probably appreciate the acoustics.

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Sight Name: Holy Sepulchre Church
Sight Location: London, England (See walking tours in London)
Sight Type: Religious
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:

Charles Dickens Tour

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