If you’re looking for a moment of peace and reverence surrounded by gothic grandeur and ancient history, head for this often overlooked gem. It doesn’t get the noisy crowds of Westminster Abbey and St Paul’s, but Southwark is one of the most beautiful, dramatic, and historic places of worship in the city, its flagstones worn by a millennia of pilgrims and prayers. An Augustinian priory was established here in the 12th century and the Gothic church was reconstructed in the 13th after a fire, and its great arched ceiling and richly decorated chapels transport you back there with surprising ease. There are five services a day to which all are welcome, but to get the full effect, head to one where their outstanding choir is singing. You’ll get chills.
Nave, chancel, Southwark Cathedral, interior view, London, England, United Kingdom
Michael Weber / age fotostock
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London's other great Cathedral
If you’re looking for a moment of peace and reverence surrounded by gothic grandeur and ancient history, head for this often overlooked gem. It doesn’t get the noisy crowds of Westminster Abbey and St Paul’s, but Southwark is one of the most beautiful, dramatic and historic places of worship in the city, its flagstones worn by a millennia of pilgrims and prayers. An Augustinian priory was first established here in the 12th century, and its great arched ceiling and richly decorated chapels transport you back there with surprising ease. There are five services a day to which all are welcome, but to get the full effect, head to one at which their outstanding choir is singing. You’ll get chills.
