St Giles in the Fields

St Giles in the Fields is a grand inner London church, despite its name, which harks back to those centuries when our capital was considerably smaller than it is today. The church is magnificent, even by the standards of that great metropolis. The present building is likely its fourth incarnation, with Henry Flitcroft rebuilding it in his preferred Palladian style in 1731–1733. His proposed design was entered into a competition which he deservedly won. His richly gilded barrel vaulting is remarkable and causes one to look heavenward.

Flitcroft is an interesting man. He came from a poor background, his father being a labourer in a grand garden. He himself became a joiner but fell off a scaffold breaking his leg while working at Burlington House. Providentially, the Earl of Burlington subsequently glimpsed the quality of his drawing and employed him as a draughtsman and architectural assistant. Schooled in the fashionable Palladian style, this former joiner helped to create some of Britain’s most beautiful buildings.

Had he not painfully fallen to the ground and broken his leg that day, he would have remained an anonymous carpenter, long forgotten. That break was the making of him, and we now have a superbly crafted church as a consequence. God often uses our falls to elevate us higher than ever we were before. Trust God’s providential management of your life; He seldom explains Himself, for He prefers to be trusted.