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St Martin in the Fields Candlelight Concert

One of my favorite spots in London is Trafalgar Square. Emerging from the claustrophobic Underground into the openness of Trafalgar feels like being transported into the beating heart of London. Street musicians perform to the accompaniment of buzzing traffic and locals and tourists alike bustle around the square.

Nelson’s column pierces the sky, its feline guardians keeping watch while fountains mist the air. My eyes always go to the fourth plinth to admire its current occupant, which always seems out of place. Then, I admire the architecture surrounding the square from the neoclassical National Gallery and Admiralty Arch to the Christopher Wren inspired St. Martin in the Fields. Only after taking this inventory am I ready to proceed to our destination.

St. Martin in the Fields

This past Tuesday, our destination was St. Martin in the Fields, which regularly hosts classical music concerts. We had been meaning to find time to attend one but hadn’t yet. Then, a wonderful new friend offered us her tickets to Moonlight Sonata by Candlelight because she was unable to attend. We happily accepted her gracious offer.

St Martin in the Fields Candlelight Concert
St. Martin in the Fields

The church dates to at least 1222 but was rebuilt in 1542 at Henry VIII’s direction. It was rebuilt again in the 1720s, and that is the version standing today, after a recent renewal project. The church predates everything around it as it was originally quite literally in the fields outside of London. Today, surrounded by the hustle and bustle of the city, it has adapted as an institution to its modern setting. The basement crypt holds a gift shop, box office, and café aptly named Café in the Crypt, which is where we decided to eat before the concert, along with a number of other concert goers as it turned out.

The Crypt

The crypt entrance is a modern glass cylinder adjacent to the church enclosing an elevator and short spiral staircase. A clever sign lists the benefits of using the steps and leaving the elevator for the less able. The large and modern lobby at the bottom of the stairs contains the box office and gift shop. The café is in the actual crypt with an arched and vaulted brick ceiling and tombstones in the floor. Many of the tombstones are too worn to read. The high ceiling with up lighting makes it an attractive and warm space despite its name. We took advantage of the two-course special with wine and dessert. I enjoyed delicious coq au vin with roasted squash while Kurt opted for the aubergine pasty with potatoes. We both enjoyed an apple crumble with custard for dessert.

  • St Martin in the Fields Candlelight Concert
    crypt ceiling
  • St Martin in the Fields Candlelight Concert
    Cafe in the Crypt
  • St Martin in the Fields Candlelight Concert
    tombstones in the crypt floor

An elderly woman was eating alone at the table next to us. After looking at us a few times, she asked me if I would watch her things while she used the toilet. She came back and asked how we enjoyed the apple crumble. She said that it’s her favorite but that they don’t always get it right. Before her husband passed away three years ago, they would share one. She was going to the concert and was delighted to learn we were as well. When she headed upstairs to the church, I watched her stooped figure climb the stairs. I wasn’t sure whether to feel sad for her possible loneliness or celebrate her continuing doing things she enjoys.

Climbing the steps up to the church, the cold night air and hum of the city washed down on us. After showing our tickets, we walked into the church for the first time. It’s even more beautiful inside. Dark wood pews and paneling contrast white columns supporting the arched ceiling with molded details and gold leaf accents. Six glass chandeliers illuminated the nave. Two large candelabras with enormous taper candles lit the sanctuary, and tealight candles scattered throughout the church provided a warm glow.

After collecting our seat cushions, an usher escorted us along the north aisle to our seats in the third row facing the keys of the piano. Warren Mailley-Smith would play for us. Only once seated did we see the enormous pipe organ above the entrance to the nave. Kurt observed that it must sound amazing. We agreed we’d have to look for an opportunity to return to hear it. While taking in the beauty of the setting, I noticed our neighbor from dinner at the front almost within arm’s reach of the body of the piano. I smiled to myself and celebrated.

Beautiful Music

The concert began promptly, and Mailley-Smith commented briefly on most of the pieces before he played them. His playing was magnificent throughout. A highlight from the first half was Franz Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody No 2, which delighted everyone in attendance and conjured visions of Tom and Jerry cartoons. Kurt observed that everyone was smiling during that piece. Another favorite of mine was the joyful Wedding Day at Troldhaugen by Edvard Grieg.

After the interval, we were treated to a small assortment of Chopin pieces, but the highlight of the second half was the last two pieces. The penultimate piece was Sergei Rachmaninov’s Prelude Op 3 no 2 in C sharp minor. Mailley-Smith noted before playing it that one only needs hands large enough to reach across an octave to play the piano; however, Rachmaninov had unusually large hands and could reach much farther than that. Because of that, he wrote music that he could comfortably play but which presents a great challenge to other pianists. I watched in awe as Mailley-Smith’s hands flew across the keys without seeming to touch them yet yielded beautiful music. The finale was George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, another audience favorite that left everyone smiling.

A Church with Something for Everyone

It was an enchanted evening layered in beauty, and we are extremely grateful to our benefactor. The church is well worth a visit. In addition to evening concerts, the church offers tours, free lunch-time concerts as well as periodic talks and of course, church services. The church is known for its long-standing homeless outreach programs, which may be why its crypt toilet facilities are open to the public (no fee is charged, but a small donation is requested). So, if you find yourself in Trafalgar Square, surely at least one of those attractions will entice you to St. Martin in the Fields.

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Harrow-on-the-Hill

Our first six weeks here, we stayed in a small, functional-but-not-comfortable flat in Harrow. One Tuesday, I went for a walk and explored the area while Kurt was working. I put on my walking shoes and headed in a new direction, away from the shops and Tube station. I crossed the bridge over the train tracks, passed the police station, and crossed a busy road to go up the nearby hill.

Walking up that hill was like entering another world. The tree-lined street was far less busy, and the sounds of the city faded away. I passed a house built in 1863 and then a letterbox with the royal cypher of King George V. It felt like going back in time. I continued up the hill and realized I was walking through Harrow School. Coming around a bend in the road, a statue of Elizabeth I on the side of a building almost seemed to greet me.

An Adorable Village

I kept walking and admiring the architecture when suddenly school boys in uniforms and boater hats flooded the street as they hurried to class. I couldn’t help but smile. They quickly sorted themselves into the various buildings, and the sidewalks were clear once again.

There was a pillar-style postbox, and curious, I checked its royal cypher—Queen Victoria. I already regretted not bringing my camera, now this! The buildings were beautiful, and there’s a little village beyond before crossing the main street and heading down a smaller street. I admired the façade of an old pub, The Castle, but didn’t stop. I knew Kurt and I would be back for a visit. Continuing down the narrow street, I realized the doors to the homes I was passing were shorter than me. Some of the houses had names; the Hatmaker’s House, the Coalkeeper’s Cottage. Oh, why didn’t I at least bring my phone to take pictures? Spying another pillar box on the other side of the road, I crossed to check the royal cypher—Edward VII. Three different cyphers in one village!

Adventure and Exploration

About the time I decided it was time to turn around, I noticed a sign for a footpath. I couldn’t see where it went, but since this was an adventure walk, I followed the sign. It wound through houses and opened onto a grassy hill. I noticed benches near the top, so I followed a path worn in the grass to a bench and sat down, huffing and puffing. It’s quite a hill (and I’m out of shape). I could see for miles to the west: fields, houses, buildings, roads, cranes towering over construction sites, and multiple church steeples.

After catching my breath and taking in the view, I saw an opening in the trees and bushes behind the bench. I wondered where it went, so I walked over and saw that it leads to the church at the top of the hill. So, up I went. The steep walkway runs along the southern boundary of the church graveyard. Reading headstones as I walked up, I felt the love and grief expressed in the epitaphs.

At the top, stairs lead to the main churchyard. Just to the right of those stairs is a bench and a plaque. Curious, I walked over and read that this was Lord Byron’s favorite spot to write poetry when he was a student at Harrow School. One of his poems is etched in stone next to the plaque. There’s a grave covered with a metal cage to protect it—we learned later that people had taken to breaking pieces off the headstone as souvenirs of their visit.

Byron’s poetry place, St. Mary’s Church, Harrow-on-the-Hill

I walked by the church, its steeple covered in scaffolding, and out the main entrance of the churchyard, which led me right back into the heart of the school. In front of me was a spectacular view of the library with Wembley Stadium and central London in the background. I knew I would be back with a camera the next day.

Harrow School

Walking back to our little flat, I thought about all the pictures I wanted to take. On the website for Harrow School, I learned that Elizabeth I issued the school’s charter, which explained the statue. I also saw that they do public tours three times a year. To my delight, the next public tour was in a few days on Saturday. I bought tickets immediately.

I repeated my walk the next day, and several other days, with camera in hand. But, the real treat was the school tour that Saturday. We can’t recommend it highly enough. On the day of the tour, there was snow on the ground and frigid wind blowing. However, our tour guide gave us such a warm welcome that we forgot about the weather and enjoyed every minute of the tour.

Vaughan Library in the snow
Fourth Form Room at Harrow School
Students traditionally carved their names carved on the wood paneling of the fourth form room, including some famous former students like Byron and Churchill.

Starting in the Fourth Form Room in the original school building, we saw where Lord Byron, Winston Churchill, and many other students carved their names in the wood paneling.

Harry Potter at Harrow School
Fourth Form Room window. Do you recognize it from Harry Potter?

More recently, this was the filming location for a Harry Potter scene. You may recall the students learning to levitate a feather and Hermione saying, “You’re saying it wrong. It’s leviOsa, not leviosA!”

We toured the magnificent D-shaped Speech Room where assemblies, events, and performances are held. There are seven plaques commemorating prime ministers who attended the school.

There are also paintings of famous Old Harrovians including Sir Winston Churchill, King Hussein of Jordan, Sir Robert Peel (founder of the Metropolitan Police), and Anthony Trollope (novelist and inventor of the pillar box). This beautiful room has also been used as a filming location. We recognized it in an episode of The Crown (where it was portrayed as Eton, a rival school).

The Speech Room

The tour took us on a solemn walk through memorials for the many former students lost in military service, particularly in the World Wars. Finally, we crossed the street and visited the church and library, two beautiful examples of Victorian-era architecture. The rear windows of the library sport an even more stunning view to central London, which we learned is preserved by the lands adjacent to the school having been purchased by faculty and staff and gifted to the school in order to preserve the school’s country feel and view.

Worth a Visit

It’s a remarkable school in a remarkable location next to a charming village amid the hustle and bustle of a busy borough of London. It’s off the regular path of where most tourists go, but easily accessible by Tube or bus. If you’re looking for something a little different than the typical tourist fare, whether you like art, architecture, history, or literature, this may be just the thing. If you go, have lunch at The Castle or afternoon tea at The Doll’s House on the Hill.