Chelsea Old Church

Chelsea Old Church stands as a survivor of the Second World War. On the night of April 16, 1941, a German parachute mine detonated nearby and effectively leveled the medieval structure, blowing the heavy stone tower over onto the nave. Amidst the complete destruction, the small private chapel built by Sir Thomas More in the sixteenth century remained miraculously intact. This spared section became the anchor for the entire building's careful reconstruction, which was completed in 1958 to match the original footprint and architecture as closely as possible.