London's Pocket Parks: St Paul's Churchyard, Covent Garden

"And that entrance is through a wide raised lawn, which is surprisingly well hidden unless you're familiar with it already. It's laid out as two lawns on either side of the main paved route to the church's actual entrance, and the paving is lined almost the entire way with benches, reflecting how busy the pocket park can get on a warm day."

"The church is nicknamed the Actors Church thanks to its close links with the local theatres, and you won't be surprised to see that most of the benches are dedicated to a dead actor or theatre fan. There's also a more recent monument to the Covid pandemic. As it's winter, one of the two lawns is closed to recover, but it's a pleasant spot to relax in the summer."

"The lawns are, unsurprisingly for a church, a former graveyard, and the first known victim of the 1665-1666 outbreak of the Plague in England, Margaret Ponteous, was buried there on 12th April 1665. Also buried here were the dramatist William Wycherley (d.1716), composer Thomas Arne (d.1778), the carver Grinling Gibbons (d.1721), artist Thomas Girtin (d.1802) and the poet Samuel Butler (d.1688)."

St Paul's Church sits adjacent to Covent Garden beside a greener pocket park filled with benches. The intended main entrance was reversed, leaving the actual approach through a wide raised lawn divided into two lawns flanking a paved route. The paved route is lined with benches, many of which are memorial dedications linked to local theatres, giving the church the nickname Actors Church. A recent monument commemorates the Covid pandemic. Older lamps on the site remain gas lit. The lawns occupy a former graveyard with burials from 1665 through 1850, including several notable artists and dramatists.

Read at ianVisits