Crown Court Church, Covent Garden 

‘Living alone and doing a dull job on a low salary was a hollow experience. Often, [Claudius Buchanan] spent his evenings wandering the streets. Looking into windows, he glimpsed happy families sitting around warm fires. On Sundays he filled the gap in his life by going to the Crown Court Church, which he had not done for many years. The hymns, the Scots voices and the sermons reminded him of home. He found that he preferred the seriousness of church services to spending his Sundays drinking with licentious girls in Spa Fields Pleasure Ground.’ This is a quote from The Claudians: gardens, landscapes, reason and faith: John Claudius Loudon and Claudius Buchanan, Tom Turner (Kindle, 2024).

Crown Court Church was the focus of the Scottish community in London

The history of Crown Court Church goes back to the early 18th century when a Presbyterian congregation was established in Covent Garden. The current church building, designed by architect Thomas Archer, was completed in 1719. It was originally known as Craven Chapel, named after the Craven family who funded its construction. The architectural style is Baroque, with an elegant facade and Corinthian columns. The interior has ornate plasterwork, a grand organ, and stained glass windows. It remains in use with a small but loyal congregation.

John Claudius Loudon's church-going habits are not known but given his family background in a rural parish, and the scepticism of his adult life, it is likely there was a period of transition from faith to doubt. He does not seem to have become athiest but may have been agnostic. The Crown Court Church in Covent Garden. Established in the early 18th century, it was a central place of worship for the Scottish community in London. The Swallow Street Church: Located near Piccadilly and London Wall Church (also known as the Scots Church, London Wall) also had Scottish Presbyterian congregations.