Tuesday 2 June - 6pm - St Olave Lecture - The Strange History of Samuel Pepys’s Diary

for 1 hour, 15 mins
St Olave Hart Street
8 Hart Street City of London, EC3R 7NB, United Kingdom

Professor Kate Loveman explores how Samuel Pepys’s Diary has been received through the ages, since its first publication 200 years ago.

Compline by Candlelight at St Olave Hart Street (5.30pm-5.50pm) - free to attend - followed by St Olave Lecture (6.00pm-7.15pm) : The Strange History of Samuel Pepys’s Diary by Professor Kate Lovweman. Tickets £5 which includes a glass of wine.

Please join us in what Samuel Pepys called his "own church" for Compline by Candlelight followed by our next St Olave Lecture. Professor Kate Loveman joins us to talk about her award winning book exploring how Samuel Pepys’s Diary has been received through the ages, since its first publication 200 years ago.

"During the 1660s, Samuel Pepys kept a secret diary full of intimate details and political scandal. Had the contents been revealed, they could have destroyed his marriage, ended his career, and seen him arrested. This engaging book explores the creation of the most famous journal in the English language, how it came to be published in 1825, and the many remarkable roles it has played in British culture since then. Kate Loveman – one of the few people who can read Pepys's shorthand – unlocks the riddles of the diary, investigating why he chose to preserve such private matters for later generations. She also casts fresh light on the women and sexual relationships in Pepys's life and on Black Britons living in or near his household. Exploring the many inventive uses to which the diary has been put, Loveman shows how Pepys's history became part of the history of the nation."

St Olave Hart Street

St Olave Hart Street. Founded in 1050 and dedicated to a Viking warrior who became King and then Patron Saintof Norway. The first healing miracle here associated with Olaf is recorded in the twelfth century.

A Great Fire survivor & miraculously restored after the blitz, the story of this church is entwined with London’s mercantile and maritime past. Some jest that the whole world has passed through this tiny parish. Samuel Pepys, buried beneath the altar, called it his “own church”; the poet John Betjeman described it as, “a country church in the world of Seething Lane.” City and countryside. Warrior and healer. Like our own lives, the story of this place is layered rather than clear cut. A place where apparent opposites are held in holy tension.

Our unusual east window shows both Christ in his passion - suffering on the cross – and an image of Christ in glory, the cross shining brightly behind. An artistic representation of the seemingly polar opposite at the heart of our faith. That the death of Christ on the cross has, through his resurrection, brought the promise of new life for us and for the whole world.That is the Good News we proclaim here each day. Not easy answers, but a living hope — which is offered freely by Christ to all who turn to Him.  


Safeguarding statement: The parish of St Olave Hart Street is committed to the safeguarding of children, young people and adults. We follow the House of Bishops guidance and policies and have our own Parish Safeguarding Officer(s), PSOs. The Diocese of London’s safeguarding pages contain vital links and information including contacts for the Diocesan Safeguarding Advisor (DSA) who advise our PSOs. If you are concerned that a child or adult has been harmed or may be at risk of harm please contact the DSA. If you have immediate concerns about the safety of someone, please contact the police and your local authority Children or Adults Services.

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Tuesday 2 June - 6pm - St Olave Lecture - The Strange History of Samuel Pepys’s Diary

for 1 hour, 15 mins
St Olave Hart Street
8 Hart Street City of London, EC3R 7NB, United Kingdom

Professor Kate Loveman explores how Samuel Pepys’s Diary has been received through the ages, since its first publication 200 years ago.

Compline by Candlelight at St Olave Hart Street (5.30pm-5.50pm) - free to attend - followed by St Olave Lecture (6.00pm-7.15pm) : The Strange History of Samuel Pepys’s Diary by Professor Kate Lovweman. Tickets £5 which includes a glass of wine.

Please join us in what Samuel Pepys called his "own church" for Compline by Candlelight followed by our next St Olave Lecture. Professor Kate Loveman joins us to talk about her award winning book exploring how Samuel Pepys’s Diary has been received through the ages, since its first publication 200 years ago.

"During the 1660s, Samuel Pepys kept a secret diary full of intimate details and political scandal. Had the contents been revealed, they could have destroyed his marriage, ended his career, and seen him arrested. This engaging book explores the creation of the most famous journal in the English language, how it came to be published in 1825, and the many remarkable roles it has played in British culture since then. Kate Loveman – one of the few people who can read Pepys's shorthand – unlocks the riddles of the diary, investigating why he chose to preserve such private matters for later generations. She also casts fresh light on the women and sexual relationships in Pepys's life and on Black Britons living in or near his household. Exploring the many inventive uses to which the diary has been put, Loveman shows how Pepys's history became part of the history of the nation."

St Olave Hart Street Charity No. 1130893