England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
St Marylebone All Souls

The Parish

The parish of St Marylebone lies in south central Middlesex, part of the northern portion of the city of Westminster and about 2 miles west of the city of London. Once a distinct small community and a reputed haunt of robbers and bandits it was described in medieval sources as a dangerous place and difficult of access. This lonely hamlet in the countryside outside the urban area is nowadays an integral part of central London. As late as 1601 documents record the entertainment of the Russian ambassador by hunting in the rural retreat of Marylebone Park. Development of the area began in or around 1715 and by the end of the 18th century St Marylebone was part of the fashionable West End of London and covered in large properties of the wealthy. Population in the area grew such that by the early part of the 19th century it was decided more churches were needed to support the population and All Souls was added amongst that tranche. Today St Marylebone is little more than a name on the map, such is the urban area of London it is now an integral part of the city's infrastructure, holding such attractions as Regent's Park and its zoo, Lords cricket ground and Madam Tussauds. Like much of London's urban area most drainage is now sub-surface traveling the short distance to the nearby Thames and the North Sea. All Souls parish is sited at around 30 metres above the sea, land rises steadily to the local height of almost 100 metres on nearby Parliament Hill. All Souls parish area was very small but intensely populated being supportive of the area immediately north of the Mayfair area of Westminster. By the census of 1831 St Marylebone's population had increased to close to 140,000 and All Souls would have held a substantial proportion of that very high total. In Domesday times St Marylebone was a tiny place, a holding of Barking Abbey offering just 3 ploughs and a small patch of woodland.

The Church

All Souls sits on Langham Place about 400 metres north of Oxford Street in the southern part of St Marylebone wider parish, the area is , today, intensely built up and commercial with offices and shops crowding the site of the church. The church was built between 1822 and 1824 utilising a pleasing Bath stone. The church has not only an unusual design (a rectangular box with a circular portico) but also an unusual angle being oriented southwest to northeast rather than the conventional east/west alignment of most churches. The portico with its tower and spire is the church's most attractive feature with ionic columns raised above the entrance steps. By contrast the main body of the church is in a plain ashlar and a much less dramatic part of the building. The main changes to the original design came as a result of war damage arising from enemy incendiaries. Like most central London churches All Souls is best approached on foot from one of the nearby Tube stations as parking is at a premium in this area.