You can find our regular service times at this link. Please join us over the next few months for our special services and events listed below. Keep checking this page as more information is added:
April 2026
Tuesday 28th April 2026 – 5.30pm – Choral Evensong followed at 6.30pm by St Olave Lecture – First Kings: Forged by Vikings in England and Norway.
Adrian Waddingham CBE joins us to talk about his latest book exploring the turbulent years of 850 to 954 when amidst shifting allegiances and warfare, the first Kings of England and Norway emerged. Tickets £5 available at this link.
May 2026
Saturday 9th May 2026 – 7pm-8.20pm – Beethoven by Twilight
(Ben Schoeman, Piano)
Steinway Artist and award-winning pianist, Ben Schoeman, embarks on a concert series at St Olave’s Church (near Tower of London). Unreserved Seating. Tickets £18 available at this link.
Programme:
Ludwig van Beethoven:
Sonata no. 2 in A major, Op. 2/2
Sonata no. 14 in C-sharp minor, Op. 27/2 (Moonlight)
Franz Liszt:
Les jeux d’eaux à la Villa d’Este (The Fountains of the Villa d’Este) – from S. 163
Liebestraum no. 3, S. 541
Après une lecture du Dante : Fantasia quasi sonata – from S. 161
Sunday 10th May 2026 – 11am – 1pm – Sung Holy Communion for Rogation Sunday followed by The Beating of the Parish Bounds
Join us this Rogation Sunday for Sung Holy Communion from 11am-12pm, followed by the Beating of the Parish Bounds – an ancient tradition involving walking the boundaries of the parish, praying and giving thanks to God for the glorious part of the City of London which we serve.
Tuesday 12th May 2026 – 5.30pm-6.15pm – Choral Evensong as part of the London Festival of Contemporary Church Music
Please join us for glorious music from our choir in our beautiful medieval church and the sublime liturgy of the Book of Common Prayer. Today the choir will sing new liturgical music from living composers including David Bednall, Colin Spinks and Philip Moore, as part of the London Festival of Contemporary Church Music
Sunday 17th May 2026 – 11am – 1pm – Sung Holy Communion followed by the Annual Parochial Church Meeting
Please join us after Holy Communion for our Annual Meeting when we review the year past and look forward to the year ahead. All are welcome.
Sunday 24th May 2026 – 11am-1pm – Sung Holy Communion with Baptism on Whit Sunday & Quarter Peal to commemorate Princess Elizabeth’s release from the Tower of London and visit to All Hallows Staining
Whit Sunday (also known as Whitsun or Pentecost) celebrates the coming of the Holy Spirit to the disciples after Jesus’ resurrection. Join us for Sung Holy Communion and Baptism. After the service, the University of London Society of Change Ringers will ring a special Quarter Peal in commemoration of Princess Elizabeth’s visit to give thanks to the bellringers at All Hallows Staining (now part of our parish) following her release from the Tower of London in May 1554. Refreshments will be served. Find out more at this link. Please register at this link if you plan to attend to help us with catering.
Tuesday 26th May 2026 – 5.30pm – Choral Evensong followed at 6.30pm by St Olave Lecture – William Turner: The Father of English Botany.
Professor Brycchan Carey joins us to talk about the life of William Turner – known as ‘the Father of English Botany’, who is buried here at St Olave Hart Street. Tickets £5 available at this link.
Thursday 28th May 2026 – 12pm-1pm – The Annual Pepys Commemoration Service. Special Guest Speaker: Guy De la Bédoyère – The Confessions of Samuel Pepys
All are welcome to attend this service at which we will be joined by members of The Samuel Pepys Club. Following the service, this year’s address will be given by Guy De la Bédoyère, who will talk about his book ‘The Confessions of Samuel Pepys’ which focuses on Pepys’s controversial private life for a contemporary readership, by charting his varied and complex relationships with women. The service is free to attend but please register at this link.
Friday 29th May 2026 – 7pm-8.20pm – Candlelight Concert by David Pinoit (cello) and Ben Schoeman (piano) performing Bach, Saint-Saens and Rachmaninoff
Steinway Artist and award-winning pianist, Ben Schoeman, embarks on a concert series at St Olave’s Church (near Tower of London). Unreserved Seating. Tickets £20 available at this link.
Programme:
Two Bach Chorales (arr. Kodály)
Sonata no. 1 in C minor, Op. 32 by Saint-Saëns
Sonata in G minor, Op. 19 by Rachmaninoff
Saturday 30th May 2026 – 7.00pm – “Incendiary” – Samuel Pepys in Words and Music by Hambletts Productions (World Premiere)
This unique and very special performance takes place under Samuel Pepys’ and his wife, Elizabeth’s, gaze, in the church where they both worshipped and lie buried. Pepys’ inimitable words are brought to life by Edward Bennett, woven with Grace Davidson’s sublime soprano. Music flows through Pepys’ writing, from the earthy Broadside Ballads of London’s streets to the Baroque. In this production, music and words combine to illuminate Pepys’ story with an emotional impact that has to be experienced.
Samuel Pepys: Edward Bennett
Elizabeth Pepys/Voice: Grace Davidson
Lute: Daniel Murphy
Adapted by: Deirdre Shields
Director: Judy Reaves
Presented by Hambletts in association with Harmonic Artists & MW Music and Artists. Tickets £32.52-43.36 including booking fee available at this link.
June 2026
Tuesday 2nd June 2026 – 5.30pm- Compline in the Crypt Chapel followed at 6pm by – St Olave Lecture – The Strange History of Samuel Pepys’s Diary.
Professor Kate Loveman joins us to talk about her award-winning book exploring how Samuel Pepys’s Diary has been received through the ages, since its first publication 200 years ago. Tickets £5 available at this link.
Tuesday 9th June 2026 – 5.30pm-6.15pm – Choral Evensong followed by Reception for Parish Businesses
We welcome staff from businesses in the parish to a special summer reception after Choral Evensong.
Sunday 14th June 2026 – 12.30pm-5.30pm-London Festival of Architecture Guided Tours of St Olave Hart Street – from Ruins to Restoration
We welcome visitors for guided tours during the London Festival of Architecture in the month which marks 75 years since the post-war restoration of the church began. The Festival Theme for 2026 is ‘Belonging’. Our tours will reveal some of the stories of those who have called this place their ‘own church’ since its foundation in 1050. Tours will start every hour 12.30pm, 1.30pm, 2.30pm, 3.30pm, 4.30pm and 5.30pm. Self guided visits welcome at other times. Register to attend at this link.
Wednesday 17th June 2026 – 7pm – European Poetry Festival : Norwegian Poetry Celebration
We host a celebration of contemporary Norwegian Poetry as part of the ninth European Poetry Festival. This communal, playful and energetic event is free to attend. Find out more about the event and it’s poets at this link.
Sunday 21st June 2026 – 11.00am-12.15pm – Sung Holy Communion to Commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the Laying of the Restoration Stone
We welcome representatives from the Norwegian Embassy, the Diocese of London, the clergy and people of the Norwegian Church in Rotherhithe and Nidarosdomens Guttekor – the boys choir of Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim, Norway, for this special service of Holy Communion marking the 75th Anniversary of the Laying of the Restoration Stone and the process of rebuilding our beautiful church after damage during the blitz. Followed by a parish party. Please register to attend at this link to help us to plan catering.
July 2026
Tuesday 14th July 2026 – 5.30pm-6.15pm – Choral Evensong with reception for members of The Prayer Book Society
Members of The Prayer Book Society are especially welcome to join us for our final Choral Evensong before our summer break. Music will include compositions from the time of one of our most famous parishioners, Samuel Pepys, who is buried under the altar at St Olave Hart Street. As a result of a bequest from Mrs Pepys-Cockerell, the church came into possession of Samuel Pepys Prayer Book, which includes a metrical version of the Psalms dated 1680. The book was enriched with engravings and sacred pictures and rulings of red lines. The title page, illustrated by hand, is thought to be the work of Pepys’s friend Edward Cocker, the Writing Master. The embellished prayer book follows the example of Charles II. The book survived the near total destruction of the church during WW2 after being stored, along with other valuable documents, in the crypt of St Petroch’s Church, Exeter. It will be on display before and after Choral Evensong. The service is free to attend and open to all. Please register at this link if you intend to come to help us with catering.
Sunday 19th July 2026 – 11.00am-12.15pm – Patronal Festival and Parish Party with Jazz Band
We celebrate our patronal festival giving thanks for St Olaf with a special service with eight part professional choir followed by a parish party in the churchyard with jazz music.
Tuesday 28th July 2026 – 12.30pm-12.55pm – Holy Communion on the Eve of St Olaf Day in the Crypt Chapel
Our lunchtime service will take place in the crypt chapel as we gather on the eve of the feast our patron saint, Olaf.
September 2026
Saturday 5th September 2026 – Fire & Faith : Exploring Science & Theology through the Great Fire of London
A series of public demonstrations exploring the science of the Great Fire of London and exhibitions and displays in church exploring how the church has responded to the fire throughout history. The event is made possible thanks to funding from ‘Scientists in Congregations’ via ECLAS – Equipping Christian Leaders in an Age of Science.
Saturday 12th September 2026 – 12.30pm-5.30pm – Open House London – Self Guided Tours. Monumental Brass Society Open Meeting and Lectures (from 2pm)
The church will be open as part of London Open House weekend. From 2pm we welcome the Monumental Brass Society as we host their open meeting which will include three talks by a range of speakers including Rear Admiral Mike Harris, Penny Ritchie Calder of St Olave Hart Street on recent conservation work here connected to the Capponi memorial and Nicholas Rogers – ‘’But the plates of memory are gone’: visualising the church of St. Olave Hart Street on the eve of the Reformation.’ Refreshments available.
Saturday 19th September 2026 – 12.30pm-5.30pm – Open House London – Church Tours, Tower Tours and Bellringing Demonstration
We open for tours of the church and belltower (timed and limited numbers) and our wonderful bellringers will offer ringing demonstrations. All welcome.
Sunday 20th September 2026 – 12.30pm-5.30pm – Open House London – Church Tours
We open for tours of the church as part of Open House Weekend. All welcome.
Tuesday 22nd September 2026 – 5.30pm (Evensong), 6.30pm (Talk) – St Olave Lecture – St Olave’s : The Hidden History & Legacy of Tudor Espionage
Join us for Choral Evensong at 5.30pm and stay for this month’s St Olave Lecture at 6.30pm. Sally Gibbins, Principal of the Francis Bacon Society, joins us to talk about the hidden world of Tudor Spies and intrigue centred around St Olave’s Hart Street. With music, letters and readings from the Tudor period, we will explore the important connections among notable parishioners of St Olave’s, including Elizabeth I’s spymaster Sir Francis Walsingham, poet Sir Philip Sidney, statesman Sir Francis Bacon, his brother cryptographer and spy Anthony Bacon, and court favourite the Earl of Essex. The histories associated with these people and landmarks highlight the complex relationships and activities that shaped the perilous political affairs of the Tudor era and would leave a lasting legacy to the world of espionage and national security. Tickets for the talk are £5 and available at this link.
October 2026
Sunday 4th October 2026 – 11am-12.150pm – Sung Holy Communion & Confirmation followed by Harvest Parish Party
We welcome The Right Reverend David Urquhart for confirmations during our service of Holy Communion, followed by a Harvest Parish Party. Please get in touch if you are interested in becoming confirmed or received into the Anglican Church.
December 2026
Tuesday 8th December 2026 – 5.30pm-6.30pm – A Service of Nine Lessons and Carols
Traditional candlelit service of music and readings, followed by mulled wine & mince pies
Friday 11th December 2026 – starting at 6pm at The Ship Inn – Pepys Parish Wassailing
Carolling around our parish pubs in the footsteps of one of our most famous parishioners, Samuel Pepys. Starting at The Ship, Hart Street
Sunday 13th December 2026 – Holy Communion and Christingle Service
The young and young at heart are invited to build and light Christingles, symbolising Christ the light of the world.
Tuesday 15th December 2026 – 12.30pm-1.15pm – Lunchtime Carol Service
Traditional carols and festive music sung by our talented choir. Mulled wine & mince pies to follow.
Thursday 24th December 2026 -11.30pm-12.30am – Midnight Mass by Candlelight
A midnight service of Holy Communion sung by our choir, celebrating the coming of the Christ child.
Friday 25th December 2026 – 11am-12pm – Christmas Day Sung Holy Communion
Celebrate with joy the Feast of the Nativity of our Lord, with sublime music from our professional choir.
