St Nicholas Cole Abbey is at 114 Queen Victoria Street, EC4V 4BJ.
The City of London entry for this church tells me:
The church is dedicated to the 4th century St Nicholas of Myra. The name “Cole Abbey” is derived from “coldharbour”, a medieval word for a traveller’s shelter or shelter from the cold.
It still performs this sheltering function. There is a large squarish space inside, very open and light, with stained glass, tables, gentle murmurings. And there is the wonderful Wren café, a welcoming place. St Nicholas Cole Abbey is an active church, offering “workplace ministry” according to its website.
Yesterday, however, the church and the café were closed. I found shelter from the rain in the overhang of 1 Distaff Lane, Bracken House, and drew this picture.
You see the magnificent trumpet shape of the spire. There is a boat on top! According to the Wikipedia entry:
This [weathervane] came from St Michael Queenhithe (demolished 1876), and was added to the spire in 1962.
Here is work in progress on the picture, and a map:
On sunnier days, I have drawn St Paul’s Cathedral from a bench to the south of the church:
St Paul’s Cathedral from Wren Coffee
Wren Coffee has re-opened! This is a marvellous coffee shop in the Church of St Nicholas Cole Abbey, on Queen Victoria St. I went there and sat on the raised terrace, sketching the view Northwards towards St Paul’s Cathedral. The grey building in the foreground is a nightclub. It has dark windows, and a barred … Continue reading “St Paul’s Cathedral from Wren Coffee”
City Churches
This is one of an emerging collection of drawings of City churches. You can see the drawings so far by clicking this link:
Jane Sketching 