Here’s the usual round-up of Nativity scenes I’ve seen in and around the Capital. I would love to find a life-sized nativity outside a church, like the one in which Kevin hides in the film Home Alone. I’ll keep looking, meanwhile, this selection includes nativities from churches and a cathedral, a school and a shop – and a Christmas market!
Nativity Scene at Lisbon Christmas Market
Knitted Nativity at Good Shepherd, Carshalton Beeches
Outdoor Nativity, Chiltern Church
Southwark Cathedral’s nativity designed by local school children
Southwark Catholic Church Nativity……
….with Wise Men waiting to arrive
Salvation Army Sutton table top nativity
St Lawrence Jewry, Guildhall Nativity
Nativity with Greenery, Chaldon Church
Oasis Bookshop Nativity
Illuminated nativities at Sutton Christian Centre and St Elphages RC Church, Wallington
For 2026 I’m going to continue with Christian London but I’m also looking further afield to churches and cathedrals in other cities that I’ve visited, or planned to visit. There’s so much beauty and history to be explored in Christian Britain and Christian Europe! Happy New Year to all!
Another selection of Nativity displays around the capital, in churches, cathedrals, shops, and a couple of other places too. I’ve noticed that some nativity scenes show an empty manger, awaiting the birth of Jesus, with Mary, Joseph and the shepherds present, and others feature the Wise Men visiting Jesus with their gifts, traditionally after Christmas on Twelfth Night, the 6th January. So this year I’ve continued the Nativity theme into January to reflect these different styles. As usual I’ve included a few quirky/cute ones!
Westminster Cathedral
I like the inclusion of farmyard animals to set the scene!
I had decided not to do another post on Nativity displays for December, but then I spotted some new ones – weird and wonderful, beautiful and bizarre, as well as the usual traditional and tasteful; here they are!
St John the Evangelist, Shirley, Croydon
I got quite a shock when I first saw these life-sized figures as I drove up to the church!
St George’s Cathedral, Lambeth
Beautiful altar of St Georges Cathedral
Southwark Cathedral
Unusual Nativity scene at Southwark…..
…..and this stunning triptych at the entrance
And to finish, a few more nativity scenes and posters:
St Mary’s Primary School, Carshalton
Traditional Nativity Scene in Oasis Christian Bookshop and…..
…cute Nativity Scene
These posters are on the wall of the Salvation Army Church at Southwark. I love the first picture of all the different people coming to the manger – ‘Christmas is for all people’.
This was going to be the last blog post on ‘Christian London’. However, I find that I have collected much more material about Christian London, at least five months’ worth of themes! So 2023 will be the 4th year of exploring, in words and pictures, all things Christian in the 33 boroughs that make up my wonderful city, London. It just remains for me to wish you all a very happy and blessed New Year.
Another selection of beautiful and creative Nativity scenes to be found in and around the capital. My thanks to ‘friends’ in the Facebook group Londonist Urban Oddities for your suggestions, which took me further afield than I was expecting to go!
The Bayswater Collection (sounds posh)
Simple Nativity at Westbourne Grove Church W11The window of Kenyon’s Funeral Directors, Westbourne Grove, W11Nativity at St Mary of the Angels Catholic Church, Bayswater, displayed in the side aisle.
Central London Collection
Nativity in the crypt of St Martin in the Fields
Life-size figures in the Trafalgar Square Nativity
St George’s RC Cathedral, Lambeth SE1 (note the absence of Mary and baby Jesus, they will arrive on Christmas eve.)
The Carshalton, Surrey, Collection
St Mary’s RC School‘Knitivity’ in The Grove Park, Carshalton…..….and in Costa Coffee, Carshalton High StreetNativity at friends’ house, Carshalton Beeches
Wallington/Croydon/ Old Coulsdon Collection
St Elphege’s Infant School, Wallington (figures arranged by the children!)
St Elphege’s RC Church, Wallington
The Entertainer Christian Toyshop
Oasis Christian Bookshop, WallingtonAnd lastly, the Nativity at the beautiful, 900-year-old Chaldon Church (with a CR3 postcode, it counts as Croydon!) I like that the shepherds, Mary, Joseph, Jesus and some angels are assembled in the stable, while the Wise Men wait on a shelf until it’s their turn to arrive.
And to finish, a few words from two people with associations with London:
‘Pleased as Man, with man to dwell, Jesus, our Emanuel. Hark the Herald Angels sing, Glory to the new born King!’ – Charles Wesley, Hark the Herald Angels Sing
‘And as Tiny Tim observed, God bless us, Every One!’ – Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol
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