Black Limehouse Lives: The Black Experience and Parish Life Through the Lens of St Anne’s Records (1730-1830)
In partnership with the Mapping Black London team at Northeastern University London and continuing our theme of Limehouse Lives, our new exhibition explores the Black presence in Limehouse during the 18th and early 19th centuries.
Entry Free - Donations Welcome! | Open Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays 10–4, from 17 October 2026 until 20 February 2027.
For future events please see our What’s On page.
Nicholas Hawksmoor’s churches are unlike anything that came before or after. In the words of Sir John Summerson, they challenge us ‘not only by their departure from Wren’s classic models but by a sense of power, of the sheer grandeur of hewn masonry, of primitive form brought into the service of religion’.
Our story begins with foundations laid in a Limehouse meadow during the reign of Queen Anne. It continues as the magnificent church is gutted by fire but arises from the ashes, only to endure centuries of neglect. Today the story is again about rebirth. Care for St Anne’s has commissioned The Master Plan, proposing eight years of renovation and modernisation, leading up to St Anne’s tercentenary in 2030. The work will be underpinned by grant applications and fundraising. We hope our story inspires you to get involved.
