Fetter Lane, London - June 2025

‘What are Moravians and how did you come to be in Chelsea?’ That’s a very familiar question from visitors and neighbours during our open house sessions each Friday. The other comment being – ‘I pass by all the time and never knew you were here’.

Our Heritage and Ecology working group, following a successful series of history talks last summer, is rolling out a similar programme this year and held the first talk on the evening of 8th May. Provincial Archivist, Sr Lorraine Parsons, gave around 20 mostly local attendees a whirlwind account covering 600 years from Jan Hus to the present. Of particular interest was the attempt to establish a settlement following the purchase of the land by Count Nicolaus von Zinzendorf in 1750.

A lively question and answer session followed, and it was clear that there was a real interest in the Moravian Church past and present; both in our history and in our beliefs. Next week Sr Naomi Hancock, a long-time member of our congregation, will present a talk looking at some of the notable individuals buried in God’s Acre.

We advertised these two talks as a pair and hope they will contribute to our attempts at neighbourhood outreach. Further talks scheduled for this season will explore the ecosystem of the Close with a presentation by entomologist Imogen Newens-Hill and a look at the Mulberry trees of Chelsea presented by historian Peter Coles. We also hope to explore more about Moravian missions in Labrador and take a look at Hans Sloane’s work in Jamaica and its links to Chelsea.

Interest of the wider community is evident, and we are fortunate to have the (sometimes daunting) responsibility of sustaining the Close both as witnesses to the faith and guardians of all aspects of its history.

Sr Cynthia Dize