Londoners Magazine

It sounds like something from a Tim Burton film but as Victoria Watts found out, having cocktails in a crypt is pretty cool.

London churches from Bow to Brixton are playing host to a new generation of partygoers who are into things like fetish, jazz and burlesque. Crypts underneath churches better known for throngs of worshippers in their Sunday best are being reinvented as chic night spots. Spiritual by day, hedonistic by night, London’s crypt bars are some of the best around. Here are our favourites.

Babalou Bar

Sitting in the gardens of St Matthews in Brixton on a quiet night, you can feel deep reverberations coming from the church. But they’re not the vibrations of ecstatic worshippers, they’re the bass rhythm of popular dance nights at Mass, a club hidden away in the crypt.

St Matthews is perhaps the most multi-purpose church in London: it has two functioning Anglican churches, two clubs - Mass and Third Base - and a bar, Babalou.

Mass and Third Base host various club nights including the world’s largest fetish club, The Torture Garden, which uses part of the church’s crypt for its “dungeon area”.

In the rest of the crypt, Babalou’s Moroccan décor suits the cavernous space and creates an intimate Aladdin’s cave-like setting. Alcoves and quiet corners lend themselves to babbling groups or couples cosying up.

Cocktails are a speciality. Between the Sheets is a favourite, and the Moroccan cuisine - mezze platters, mousakka and kebabs - are reassuringly good.

The Crypt
St Matthews Church
Brixton Hill
Brixton
SW2
020 7738 3366
Mon–Wed 7pm–2am
Thur–Sat 7pm–5am

JazzLive @ The Crypt

Even if you don’t like jazz, you’ll appreciate the Crypt.
Deep underneath the gothic St Giles church, whose steeple towers over bustling Camberwell, is JazzLive, every Friday night at the Crypt.

Wooden tables and pews are grouped around a corner stage where jazz bands perform. The space is like a grotto. Its nooks and crannies are filled with jazz lovers, art students and anyone else lucky enough to have found it. Even the vicar makes occasional appearances, serving drinks with his dog collar on.

Camberwell Crypt’s hand-painted walls and haphazard décor help it retain a homespun feel, and stay true to its historic roots. The fact it was partly funded by a pile of old coins left by a mystery donor just adds to its appeal. This crypt is eerie with its darkened corners, candlelight and an inaccessible occupied tomb lurking behind the bar.

Camberwell has no tube station and has little to offer the traditional tourist. But the Crypt, one of London’s hidden gems, is well worth a visit.

St. Giles Centre
81 Camberwell Church Street
Camberwell
SE5
020 7701 1016
Friday: 8pm–1am

Cafe in the Crypt

The Café in the Crypt isn’t a secret. At the centre of the tourist trail - next to the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square - it caters predominantly for tourists and their families.

The underground café is an airy and busy space somewhere between a department store canteen and a museum foyer.

Even the gravestones on the floor and the curved ceilings fail to provide the mystery the location implies while spindly-legged tables on stone floors make for a rickety dining experience.

The food, with the Les Routiers seal of approval, is excellent. It has a British theme and includes everything from bangers and mash to afternoon tea.

Although lacking in atmosphere, Café in the Crypt is a family-friendly place. It’s not one for romance or a remarkable atmosphere, but for afternoon tea with a difference, it’s brilliant.

St Martin-in-the-Fields
Duncannon Street
Trafalgar Square
WC2
020 7766 1158
Mon-Wed 8am-8.30pm
Thurs-Sat 8am-10.30pm
Sun 12-6.30pm