Images © Olivia Hemingway.com,
Kevin Leighton and Matt Stuart
LSO St Luke’s:
230 years, the
astonishing journey
of a building
1727
St Luke’s Hawksmoor Church
commissioned by Queen Anne.
Original cost: £10,000!
1729
The stonemasons from the original
construction left their mark – you can
still see their graffiti etched into the
upstairs wall of the building
1733
St Luke’s Church was consecrated, but
just a year later it already needed repairs.
More repairs in 1877, 1914 and 1951
1835
Samantha Conville, a recent visitor to LSO
St Luke’s discovered that her great, great,
great grandparents married there in 1835.
‘I read about it falling into disrepair.
Well done to the LSO for breathing new
life into it!’ she said
1959
St Luke’s finally deemed to be too unsafe
for use
1984
It was suggested the building be turned
into student accommodation
1988
Prince Charles wanted it for a centre
for alternative medicine
1996
The LSO successfully take on the former
church to become the home of LSO
Discovery. Levitt Bernstein Architects were
employed to combine the old with the new
2003
St Luke’s reopened and the LSO entered!
The opening ceremony included a specially
commissioned piece by James MacMillan,
subject of this year’s LSO Artist Portrait
2003
BBC Radio 3 developed lunchtime
concerts in collaboration with the LSO,
and the partnership is still going strong
2003–09
As the home of LSO Discovery, 3,264
projects have taken place here
21
2006
As part of the UBS Soundscapes: Eclectica
series Sting performs Dowland songs on
the lute
2008
The LSO record in LSO St Luke’s for the
innovative online YouTube Orchestra, the
world’s first online symphony orchestra
2009 onwards
Coming up, more history in the making,
Click here to find out more
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