An Interesting Choice of Church

The venue chosen for the wedding of Charles Robinson and Harriett Wombwell is in itself a slightly curious one, since it took the couple outside their normal frames of reference in Shadwell and Stoke Newington, and into the City of London itself. St Mary’s Abchurch was designed by Christopher Wren and looks like it was a somewhat more prestigious location for the marriage than might have been expected. 

Perhaps, as indicated before, Charles Robinson had a slightly better pedigree than we have assumed. But perhaps also, given that he was to present himself to the presiding officials as a widower, he thought it advisable to put a little distance between the wedding and the West India Docks, where the happy occasion might just have come to the attention of those who were aware of the real story. 

The church itself has not changed very much from the day the couple married, requiring only some minor reconstruction from the Second World War, when Hitler inconsiderately chose to blow out the windows.