By Peter K Burian – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wiki Commons
It’s hosted dazzling and trend setting royal weddings but St. Margaret’s Church at Westminster is always in the shadows for it stands, quite literally, beneath the world famous abbey.
It traces its history back to pre Conquest times but the current building on the site is a Tudor creation with plenty of tales to tell.
It hosted one of the most glamourous royal weddings of the 20th century for it was in St. Margaret’s that Louis Mountbatten married Edwina Ashley, one of the most famous socialites of the day. The couple, who sped to the altar after a whirlwind romance, took their vows on July 18th 1922 in front of a congregation packed with royals and celebrities.
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Louis Mountbatten might not have been a royal (he lost his princely status in 1917 when King George V gave up all German titles on behalf of his whole family) but this was the wedding of the year. The Prince of Wales, later Edward VIII, was best man while crowds thousands strong lined the streets to catch a glimpse of the bride who was dressed in fashionable silver for her big day.
Decades later, it was the setting for another much talked about royal wedding. Princess Margaret’s son, David Armstrong-Jones, wed Serena Stanhope at St. Margaret’s on October 8th 1993. The bride wore a pure white gown inspired by the famous marriage outfit of her new mother-in-law.
St. Margaret’s is nestled in the heart of Westminster. It sits on Parliament Square, next to Westminster Abbey, and the two buildings have a lot in common. It was founded by Benedictine monks in the 12th century as a place for local people to come and worship so that they could carry out their religious duties in the Abbey without interruption. It was dedicated to St. Margaret of Antioch who was a hugely popular figure of veneration at the time.
Henry VII set about rebuilding the church soon after seizing the throne at the Battle of Bosworth. The new church was dedicated in 1523 and since then it has developed a number of unusual royal links. The explorer, and great favourite of Elizabeth I, Walter Raleigh was buried there following his execution in 1618 on the orders of her successor, King James I. A famous regal mistress, Barbara Villiers, was baptised at St. Margaret’s in 1640 and two decades later she brought her son by King Charles II to the same font for christening.
Earlier this year, St. Margaret’s hosted services while the final preparations for the Coronation of the latest King Charles took place.
Lydia Starbuck is a pen name of June Woolerton who has written extensively on royal history. Her book, A History of Royal Jubilees, is available now. She is also the author of a popular cosy mystery, All Manner of Murder.