SE1 churches begin to reopen doors for private prayer

St George's Cathedral was the first local place of worship to reopen its doors, with hand sanitiser stations set up at the entrance.

The Archbishop of Southwark had recently urged the Prime Minister to allow churches to open, arguing that it would be incongruous for them to remain shut whilst non-essential shops were allowed to trade.

Like most churches, St George's Cathedral's initial opening hours will be shorter than usual due to the need for extra supervision of visitors and cleaning of surfaces.

St John's Waterloo will be open for two hours a day between midday and 2pm.

In Bermondsey Street, St Mary Magdalen opens on Wednesday morning.

The Anglican Southwark Cathedral plans to reopen its doors on Saturday 4 July.

Two other Roman Catholic churches – the Church of the Most Precious Blood and Holy Trinity Dockhead – will announce reopening dates in due course.

Although plans to allow congregations to assemble for acts of worship have yet to be formally announced by the Government, many churches are preparing for some restrictions on gatherings to be eased in July.