The best of Chelsea by the people who know - Cadogan

38 | THINGS TO DO | Music
most part come from the professionals
affiliated with Chelsea Old Church,
although other artists also appear. There
are operatic arias and requiems on some
evenings. It is worth calling or checking
the website for details of upcoming
events.
64 Cheyne Walk, SW3 5LT
T: 020 7795 1019
www.chelseaoldchurch.org.uk
Holy Trinity Sloane Square
The Holy Trinity Church at Sloane Square
hosts concerts throughout the year and
prides itself on the diversity of the music
at its Sunday morning services — fitting
for a church that the former Poet
Laureate and Chelsea resident John
Betjeman described as the cathedral of
the arts and crafts movement .
Holy Trinity also has a fine organ,
which was built in 1891 by JW Walker &
Sons. See the website for details of
upcoming concerts and services.
Sloane Street, London, SW1X 9BZ
T: 020 7730 7270
www.holytrinitysloanesquare.co.uk
Chelsea musicians
Thomas Arne, the composer of the
traditional British song Rule,
Britannia!, lived at 215 King s Road
during the final years of his life.
Percy Grainger — a famous
pianist and composer who was said
to have detested the piece that he
was most famous for, Country
Gardens — lived at various addresses
in Chelsea between 1901 and
1914.
Peter Warlock — originally Phillip
Arnold Heseltine — died from gas
poisoning at 30 Tite Street on
December 17, 1930.
Holy Trinity
Sloane Square
Ralph Vaughan Williams, who
composed favourite English hymns
such as Come Down O Love Divine,
lived at 13 Cheyne Walk from 1905
to 1929.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
stayed on Five Fields Row (now
Ebury Street) in 1765 for seven
weeks. He wrote two symphonies
while he was there and also performed
at Ranelagh Gardens — all at
the age of nine.
For more notable figures who
lived and worked in Chelsea, see
Streets and Sights.
Royal Hospital Chelsea
The Royal Hospital hosts the RHC
Concerts series every autumn,
showcasing internationally celebrated
musicians as well as promising young
artists. The concerts are held in the Wren
Chapel to meet high demand for tickets.
See the website for more information.
Royal Hospital Road, SW3 4SR
T: 020 7881 5324
www.chelsea-pensioners.co.uk/rhcconcert-series
Big Easy Bar.B.Q & Crabshack
Diners can enjoy live jazz, rock, R&B and
soul music at Big Easy every night in the
main dining room from 8.30pm on
Sundays-Thursdays and 9pm on Fridays
and Saturdays.
332-334 King’s Road, SW3 5UR
T: 020 7352 4071
www.bigeasy.co.uk
Pizza Express – the Pheasantry
Live music kicks off at Pizza Express at
the Pheasantry early on most evenings.
There is an eclectic mix of music — predominantly
jazz, but also including
swing, blues, cabaret, latin, pop and a
wide range of other genres and styles.
The website has an up-to-date and
comprehensive list of the line-up for the
months ahead.
For details about The Pheasantry s
history, see Streets and Sights.
152 King’s Road, SW3 4UT
T: 0845 6027 017
pizzaexpresslive.co.uk
Cadogan Hall
Chelsea in music
Chelsea has featured in many songs
and music pieces. Here are just a few
Chelsea Bridge is a 1941 jazz standard
by Billy Strayhorn, which has
been recorded by artists including
Duke Ellington, Ben Webster, Tony
Bennett and Ella Fitzgerald.
The Rolling Stones song You Can’t
Always Get What You Want on their
1969 album Let it Bleed mentions the
Chelsea Drugstore, which was on the
King s Road: I went down to the
Chelsea Drugstore/To get your prescription
filled.
The Tom Petty and the
Heartbreakers song King’s Road
appeared on their 1981 album Hard
Promises. The first verse is: Well they
put me out on the old King s Road/I
didn t know which way to go/There
was people all around/Wearin funny
lookin clothes/Some boys, some
girls, some I don t know.