Carols by Candlelight | King’s College London

Christmas, Christmas Traditions, Covid-19, Friendships, London

A friend’s son is currently a final year student at King’s College London and he just so happens to sing in the college chapel choir.

And he just so happened to invite me to accompany his mum to the Carols by Candlelight service. 🙂

King’s College London

King’s is located on the Strand, right in the heart of London. Don’t be fooled by the ugly monstrosity that is King’s façade (what were the Town Planners thinking?), because inside the front doors and up a stone staircase, you will find the most magnificent chapel.

King’s College Chapel Choir

As you’ll have noticed in the photo above, mask wearing was compulsory for all. The choir wore their undergraduate gowns, but I was disappointed to notice that most were extremely casually dressed underneath them. I think my friend’s son was the only chap wearing a collared shirt.

The quality of the choir’s singing was simply astonishing; that teenagers/young adults could produce such a pure sound. What a gift to possess.

I left the service filled with a quiet joy and a sense of peace. A chapel filled with predominantly young people had created a sound, interspersed with a story two thousand years old, that could quite even the most troubled mind.

And without realising it, it was exactly what I needed.

Published by Ruth

Life in West London; married to The Brainy One; mum to The Boy Child. This is where I share most aspects of my everyday life. I hope you'll stay awhile.

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6 thoughts on “Carols by Candlelight | King’s College London”

  1. How lovely to read your post! Indeed there is a disconnect between the exterior of the building and the interior of the chapel – planners and architects of brutalist façades have a LOT to answer for. The singing and service itself sounds wonderful (though I too lament the lack of formal dress!) … I was a little surprised that the singers themselves wore masks, but perhaps that’s a good thing for the congregation.

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  2. How wonderful to experience this fairly close to home. I agree the facades is hideous; Prince Charles was correct for calling out the designers of revitalized London. I am so glad you felt the quiet of the mind/soul by such a gift of music. We have been enjoying evenings listening to CD’s of King’s College Choir Christmas CDs; it is the greatest story ever told. 🙂

    PS – yeah to good sense in the wearing of masks; boo to thinking no one notices or cares about the underneath.

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