St Paul’s Church

When Francis Russell, the 4th Earl of Bedford, commissioned architect Inigo Jones to design Covent Garden Piazza in 1631, he reportedly requested a simple church "not much better than a barn." Jones promised "the handsomest barn in England." Completed in 1633 and consecrated in 1638, St Paul's is known as the Actors' Church for its long ties to London's theater community. Performances on the West Piazza date from at least 1662, when diarist Samuel Pepys recorded a Punch puppet show.