Chelsea parishes in 1890/1903

List from "A map of the Ecclesiastical Divisions within the County of London, 1903" published by Edward Stanford of London, reprinted as a facsimile by the London Topographical Society. Parishes within the rural deanery of Chelsea in 1903 are listed in alphabetic order. They are in the Archdeaconry of Middlesex, and the Diocese of London. We have a list of other deaneries.

Chelsea parish (which ended up with 12 ecclesiastical parishes and institutions by 1890 - now five) was a unit of civil government, in Middlesex until 1889, then the new County of London; a Vestry until 1900, becoming the Metropolitan Borough of Chelsea, and then part of the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea in 1964. Pre-1900, there was a detached part of Chelsea parish to the northwest of Kensington, Chelsea's northern neighbour, and Kensington also had small detached parts on the River front in the south of Chelsea parish.- The appropriate Godfrey Maps [website at end] show parish boundaries. Some descriptions have been updated with the aid of the Victoria County History online.

Chelsea Old Church (All Saints) is the original parent parish of almost all parishes, but in 1824, as around this time in other Middlesex parishes (e.g.St.Marylebone, St.Pancras, Paddington) a new parish church was built - in this case, St.Luke's, and the old church was for a time reduced in status to chapel of ease.

If you go to FamilySearch and Browse > Browse Library Catalogue > Placename Search and select Chelsea, Middlesex ] > Church Records and Church Records-Indexes, you will see a list of all the LDS film holdings. Batch numbers are aon the archived version of this site http://nzsghamilton.co.nz/BNlondon1.htm and also IGI Batch Numbers, Middlesex and London, places A to M and
IGI Batch Numbers, Middlesex and London, places N to Z provided by Hugh Wallis. Some churches may appear on the BVRI rather than the IGI. If on the IGI or BVRI then the LDS has a film of the registers.[which may not be complete].

Original registers if not still with church are mostly deposited in the London Metropolitan Archives. See the LMA Catlaogue and enter the name as given below in block capitals.

Christ Church Christchurch Street [1839] still open, parish united with St.Luke's 1986.
see CHRIST CHURCH, CHELSEA, CHRISTCHURCH STREET, KENSINGTON AND CHELSEA for registers at LMA
Parish is no. 8 on outline map

Holy Trinity, Sloane Street, Upper Chelsea - with St Jude; [chapel of ease, 1832, separate parish 1884] still open.
see HOLY TRINITY, CHELSEA, SLOANE STREET, KENSINGTON AND CHELSEA for registers at LMA
Parish is no. 2 on outline map

Park Chapel Proprietary Chapel in Chelsea parish from 1724. Re-named Emmanuel Chapel 1906. Enlarged 1810. Registers from 1879. Demolished 1912, and rebuilt as St.Andrew, Park Walk [1913] with own parish. Parish became St.John with St.Andrew from 1973.
see SAINT ANDREW, PARK WALK, PARK WALK, KENSINGTON AND CHELSEA for registers from 1879 at LMA
Parish is no. 7 on outline map

St John, Ashburnham Road / Tadema Road [1876] Bombed 1940 except tower.Tower demolished 1949. Worship in hall until 1973., when replaced by new church in World's End Housing Development. Parish united with St.Andrew, 1973.
see SAINT JOHN, WORLDS END, BLANTYRE STREET, KENSINGTON AND CHELSEA for registers at LMA
Parish is no. 6 on outline map

St Jude Turk's Row, ]1844] parish united to Holy Trinity 1892, church closed and demolished 1933.
see SAINT JUDE, CHELSEA, TURK'S ROW, KENSINGTON AND CHELSEA for registers at LMA
Parish is no. 5 on outline map

St Luke Sydney Street [1824] replaced All Saints as the parish church - still open.
see SAINT LUKE, CHELSEA, SYDNEY STREET, KENSINGTON AND CHELSEA for registers at LMA
Parish is no. 4 on outline map

St Saviour, Walton Street [1840] - still open, just. West end converted to housing 2001, parish united to St.Simon Zelotes.
see SAINT SAVIOUR, CHELSEA, WALTON STREET, KENSINGTON AND CHELSEA for registers at LMA
Parish is no. 1 on outline map

St Simon Zelotes, Milner Street, Upper Chelsea [1859] - still open
see SAINT SIMON ZELOTES, CHELSEA, MILNER STREET, KENSINGTON AND CHELSEA for registers at LMA
Parish is no. 3 on outline map

All Saints [Chelsea Old Church] [original parish church before 1290 - see notes above] separate parish 1951. Bombed 1941 and rebuilt. Still open. See St Luke for registers before 1824, when it became a chapel of ease.
Parish web site with history and contacts

Other chapels and institutions

• Chelsea, Royal Military Asylum [non-parochial] [1824] closed 1909, when Duke of York's Royal Military school moved to Dover. 
  The last service held at the chapel of the Duke of York's Royal Military School was on 11 July 1909, attended by HRH Princess Louise representing the Queen. The building is Grade II Listed and is now a commercial property and part of the Duke of York Square retail plaza.
• Chelsea, Royal Hospital [non-parochial] - still open - famous as home of Chelsea Pensioners.
• Chelsea, St.Mark's College and Chapel [non-parochial] The College moved to Plymouth 1975, the chapel is now a studio.
• Upper Chelsea, Whitelands Training Institution - moved to Southfields.
• Chelsea Workhouse and Infirmary.
• Note that Westminster Workhouse and Infirmary (later St.Stephen's Hospital) were also in Chelsea (Fulham Road)