I really liked how there is a seperate sister's entrance. I saw flyers for sister's fitness program…read moreand weight loss program. I think this is one of the few masajid that didn't smell like dirty shoes or wet carpet. I was thoroughly impressed at how clean and organized it was.

Excellent masjid been here for decades and has kept evolving inshuallah, great place for praying…read moreand private contemplation and also they have a wide range of stuff and they also have women's sections

Historic. An absolute must stop and visit! 675 AD was it's founding date. It is around the corner…read morefrom where executions took place on Tower Hill. Right next to the Tower of London. Seriously, don't miss seeing this church! So not to be a heretic, only imagine all which likely passed by this church over the centuries! My next trip, I intend to dedicate some hours talking to the church historian. While this church likely wasn't the center of the British Empire, it is just a few feet from it all.

This is the oldest church in London. Began in 675 AD. This is easy to pass by and not notice, so…read moredon't. Neat saxon history. Still hold services and has a museum as well.

One of the few remaining mediaeval buildings in the city of London, St. Olave's church is a Church…read moreof England sanctuary and is also the final resting place of a certain Samuel Pepys (and his wife). With a rich history - it's origins date back as early as 1056 - this is a fascinating church. From Viking invaders to narrowly missing the Great Fire of London to Samuel Pepys' the parishioner and being damaged in the Blitz. A lot has happened to this small church but it's still here. The Reverend (who's name escapes me but he's a very nice man) enjoyed telling us all of this as an introduction to the building and to put in greater context the real reason we were all congregated there - a concert, not a service. A motet about the diaries of Samuel Pepys. The venue making greater sense now and indeed they complement each other. Great acoustics in this squared-ish church and the sound doesn't get lost as there isn't enough church for the sound to become lost in. This leads me to believe that regular church services and worship would also ring well in here but I can't account for that. With numerous statues and intrinsic sculpted work on the décor, as well as a large plaque featuring Mr Pepys high up on a wall where a balcony once sat - and, indeed, where the real Pepys regularly sat. There's also a crypt down some narrow, steep stairs at the back of the church which takes you to some centuries old bits of church and whatnot. Then there are more narrow, steep steps that lead further in to the crypt and the final resting place of Mr and Mrs Pepys. You can't see them, there's a wall in the way but they're there! Not to mention even more centuries old stuff. All in all, delightful and accessible being near Fenchurch St station and Tower Hill station. The power of Christ compels you! Ian

St Olave's Church, Hart Street, in the City of London is a small mediaeval church, where Samuel…read morePepys and his wife Elizabeth lie buried. It was saved from the Great Fire of London in 1666 by tearing down rows of houses between it and the fire. London was all wood remember. Pepys was was of the people who saved it. Then of course the Blitz in WWII destroyed most of it. The fire was so intense the bells melted but they scraped up the metal and took it back to the SAME foundry the bells were made and they were recast in the original moulds. It is suprising how many entries, in books written just after the war, say church destroyed in the blitz and yet there it still is. Heritage preserved. Charles Dickens was also very fond of the church. He nicknamed it the 'Churchyard of Saint Ghastly Grim' and wrote about it in The Uncommercial Traveller. He tells a wonderful tale about being an insomniac and at midnight, in the middle of a thunderstorm, decided to take a hackney carriage to look at the place. The gateway has skulls pierced by metal and he wanted to see them in lightening. He said the coach driver became extremely nervous and kept looking over his shoulder expecting to see a bat rather than himself. Apparently, Mary Ramsay, the woman who bought the plague to London, was buried here. Usually missed by the majority of tourists it is truely worth a visit. Other interesting stuff in the area too. Opening Times Monday - Friday 09:00 - 17:00 Nearest Underground (Tube) Station: Tower Hill Apparently, Mary Ramsay, the woman who bought the plague to London, was buried here. Here's Dickens on the place: One of my best beloved churchyards, I call the churchyard of Saint Ghastly Grim; touching what men in general call it, I have no information. It lies at the heart of the City, and the Blackwall Railway shrieks at it daily. It is a small small churchyard, with a ferocious, strong, spiked iron gate, like a jail. This gate is ornamented with skulls and cross-bones, larger than the life, wrought in stone; but it likewise came into the mind of Saint Ghastly Grim, that to stick iron spikes a-top of the stone skulls, as though they were impaled, would be a pleasant device. Therefore the skulls grin aloft horribly, thrust through and through with iron spears. Hence, there is attraction of repulsion for me in Saint Ghastly Grim, and, having often contemplated it in the daylight and the dark, I once felt drawn towards it in a thunderstorm at midnight. 'Why not?' I said, in self-excuse. 'I have been to see the Colosseum by the light of the moon; is it worse to go to see Saint Ghastly Grim by the light of the lightning?' I repaired to the Saint in a hackney cab, and found the skulls most effective, having the air of a public execution, and seeming, as the lightning flashed, to wink and grin with the pain of the spikes.

A beautiful and rather interesting church. The visible bit, the spire which is architecturally,…read morepretty fascinating was designed by Hawksmoor, who was a famous architect. The Church got bombed in the blitz, which gives it its fairly weird layout, all around a courtyar, but the interior, whilst modern, is apt and fitting of the original. It's set in a lovely garden, which recently has been renovated with lottery money to include a playpark and new planting. I went today, and it was absolutely pouring down, and it was lovely to creep into this church and spend a quiet couple of reflective minutes. And then the grounds are really nice to walk around, and they're just off the mural which commemorates the Battle of Cable Street where an assortment of East End working class peoples fought with fascists and removed their threat. So all in all, the Church of St George, the grounds and the areas it's in, makes for a very historical and pleasant stroll.

There's not much to add to Templar's comprehensive review: still regarded by many as one of the…read moremost important centres in the Anglo-Jewish community, the Bevis Marks Synagogue is beautifully maintained. It is strongly reminiscent of the Wren and Hawksmoor churches of the City in its classical architecture and furnishings, which include impressive brass candelabra and 17th century wooden benches. The Synagogue's tradition is Orthodox, so men and women are separated: men on the ground floor, women in the galleries. Their opening hours (for visits) are slightly longer than advertised on their website, so it's worth contacting them ahead of a trip to London if you want to pay a call. Tourists (as opposed to those attending services) are asked to pay £3 for entry, and men are asked to wear a skull cap - one will be provided if you don't have one. Your bags may also be searched. They sell a small range of postcards and books at the entrance.

Situated in a secluded courtyard, the Bevis Marks Synagogue was opened in 1701 to serve the Spanish…read more& Portuguese Jewish Congregation. Today it is one of the best-preserved houses of worship of its period still in regular use. The Inquisition, revived by Ferdinand and Isabella, turned its attention to these crypto-Jews, and from the last years of the fifteenth century, they: were systematically persecuted, arrested, tortured, tried, and burnt at the stake. From about this time there was a constant exodus of 'Marranos' who succeeded in escaping from Spain and Portugal or its dependencies to avoid persecution and a small number of them reached Protestant England. Outwardly, they were obliged to behave as Christians, for at that time Jews were not allowed officially, to enter the country, but at any rate they could live there, provided that they behaved with circumspection, and could meet in secret in each others' houses for prayer. The first Jewish house of worship of the resettlement of the Jews in England was as opened in 1656 in the upper floor of a house in Creechurch Lane, which is but a stone's throw from the present Synagogue in Bevis Marks The site of this house is today marked by a plaque, on the rear corner of Cunard House in Creechurch Lane. Jews were permitted to return to Britain in 1657 under Oliver Cromwell. They felt that the time was opportune to present a petition in the form of a humble address to Oliver Cromwell asking for the official re?admittance of the Jews to England Their decision was no doubt a wise one, as Cromwell, reared in a Puritanical atmosphere with its emphasis on the Old Testament was likely to hear favourably any petition presented by the 'people of the Old Testament'. Some of the most eminent figures of Anglo-Jewry sat at prayer in the Synagogue such as Sir Moses Montefiore. Disraeli was born into the Congregation and there are links to the Rothschilds. Today it is regarded as the most distinguished British Synagogue. The magnificent wooden Ark or cupboard) resembling a reredos, at the east end, is built in classical architecture in the manner of Sir Christopher Wren's time. It contains (as is the custom in Jewish synagogues') the sacred scrolls of' the Pentateuch, or five books of Moses, written in Hebrew on parchment, which are read in consecutive instalment over the period of a year as the central feature of the Sabbath Service. Several splendid seventeenth century vestments and silver ornaments belonging to the scrolls survive. The entablature of the Ark has as its central feature the Ten Commandments written in Hebrew (abbreviated), above which are inscribed in Hebrew the words 'Know before Whom thou standest'. The silver hanging Sanctuary Lamp, burning perpetually before the Ark, was presented by Edward Foligno in 1876 and evidently replaces an earlier example, now lost. Except for the addition of the doors to the Banca or Wardens' pews and to the Haham's or Chief Rabbi's seat in 1787, and of the choirstalls in about 1830, the ancient synagogue has remained virtually unchanged. Electric light was installed in 1929 Even though recently restored, the interior has barely changed since it was built. It is in the style of many Nonconformist chapels of the period. The influence of Sir Christopher wren is also evident. The Synagogue has one of the finest collections of Cromwellian and Queen Anne furniture in the country and the magnificent brass candelabra with glowing candlelight. On 19th December 1951 the Congregation held a Service to celebrate the 250th anniversary, of the opening of the Synagogue which was attended by the Duke of Edinburgh. On 22nd March 1956 British Jewry held a Service of dedication and thanksgiving at the Synagogue on the tercentenary of the resettlement of the Jews in the British Isles. Twelve pillars, symbolising the tribes of Israel, support the ladies' gallery, the reading desk and Echal are flanked by 10 candlesticks representing the Ten Commandments; and the interior is dominated by seven magnificent candelabra, corresponding to the days of the week. One of the great oak beams supporting the roof is said to have been presented by Princess (later Queen) Anne. In 1992 and 1993 the synagogue suffered great damage from terrorist bomb attacks on the City of London. Nearly £200,000, raised by donation, has since been spent in repairing and renovating the structure

Coming out of Bank underground station, I was thinking; 'Where on earth would I find some decent…read moreretail outlets, pubs or restaurants on streets of 100 year old office blocks?' Finding an old church, I peered into the clear doors and saw lots and lots of bookshelves! So I investigated a bit further and found a bookshop waited for me inside. Soft music plays in the background while you browse the inoffensive, relaxed bookshelves (you have to go there to understand just how inoffensive these bookshelves are compared to the ones you see all over the place these days..) and you can buy second hand as well as new books, which is very useful for penny pinchers like me. The staff are of the elderly, friendly kind and are so obviously spiritual that it warms your heart... though I was struck by a thought that these people are as much furniture as the tables and chairs are here. They have also expanded, for the season, into Christmas cards and postcards and some are pretty damn funny (if 100% tasteful) which isn't always a good thing. The book topics focus on religion and theology (understandably) and are of an adult context - big thinkers and book enthusiasts only should be shopping here. Teenagers looking for some romance novels may find a few floating around but much better off if you're into some hardcore thinking. An excellent little place.

Southwark Cathedral, also known as the Cathedral Church of St. Saviour and St. Mary Overie, has a…read morefascinating history that dates back over a thousand years. Its origins can be traced to a monastery founded in AD 606 by Mellitus, the first Bishop of London. The original structure was a wooden building and was later rebuilt in stone around the 9th century. Over the centuries, the cathedral has undergone various renovations and additions, resulting in the magnificent structure we see today. The location of Southwark Cathedral is of great historical significance. It stands on the south bank of the River Thames, near the site of the ancient Roman bridge that connected the City of London with the southern part of the country Inside the cathedral, children can discover a rich collection of paintings, sculptures, and decorative arts that span different periods and styles. The Cathedral has a lovely garden which is a haven at all times of year but especially in the summer. A quiet space to sit for a while. Whilst the lovely cafe serving delicious coffee and cakes is a nice way to escape the crowds of London bridge

I chanced upon this spot as I was going through Borough Market and I am so glad I did. So much…read morehistory and splendor at this cathedral. I spent some time meditating in the pews and had a wonderful visit overall. It's free entrance as well which is nice.

St Dunstans church is a hidden gem and a relatively unknown slice of East-End history. Located…read morejust a stone's throw away from Stepney Green Park and opposite a rather bizarre farm, the church boasts 1000 years of history and each turn reveals eye-catching features like gravestones dating from the Civil War and etchings of its patron Dunstan beneath a set of tongs, symbolic of his connection to metalwork. There are two particularly fascinating stories of St Dunstan outlined in a brochure you can pick up by the entrance to the building. The first tells of a day when Dunstan was approached by the devil whilst he was busy with his metalwork. The devil attempted to tempt Dunstan to evil pleasures but Dunstan, the crafty so-and-so, pulled his red-hot tongs from the furnace and saw the devil off by tweaking him on the nose. The second story also takes place at the metalworks and the devil again approached Dunstan, this time riding his horse. The devil requested Dunstan shoe his horse but the crafty Dunstan instead attached a shoe to the hoof of the devil. In return for releasing him Dunstan made the devil promise to never enter a house where a horseshoe hung over the door. It is from this story that we get the legend of the lucky horse shoe. Dunstan founded his church in the 10th century and at one time it served the entire population of Middlesex east of the City of London. The current building is the third church to have been built on the site and dates mainly from the 15th century though the chancel is 200 years older. It is a truly beautiful building with a rich and vibrant history and the perfect place to see a piece of London free from the general milieu of tourist spots.

A few weeks ago I got lost on my bike trying to find an art gallery and stumbled upon St Dunstan's…read more I was immediately smitten. To begin with, it's old. It's also not at all ostentatious, which seems fitting for the style of its East London parishioners. Furthermore, it somehow survived the Blitz when the balance of the neighbourhood was obliterated. I hesitate to write 'miraculous', but it really doesn't get much more uncanny than that.