Founded by Queen Matilda in 1147 and with HM Queen Elizabeth II as our previous patron, The Royal Foundation of St Katharine has served as a centre for worship, hospitality and service over many centuries.
Founded by Queen Matilda in 1147 and with HM Queen Elizabeth II as our previous patron, The Royal Foundation of St Katharine has served as a centre for worship, hospitality and service over many centuries.
St Katharine’s is an extraordinary urban oasis in East London, within walking distance of Canary Wharf’s gleaming towers and with great transport links to the City of London financial centre and top London attractions. With 45 bedrooms and 9 meeting rooms around a beautiful expanse of grass and trees, it is a unique, quiet sanctuary in the heart of London
St Katharine’s hosts over 1000 events a year for some of the world’s leading charities and not-for-profit organisations. Corporates also come for board meetings and management away-days to enjoy an “out-of-London” experience in the heart of the city.
It’s a favourite with business travellers, looking for an alternative to cramped corporate hotels with little character. We also welcome many guests coming to London for events and conferences. St Katharine’s regularly ranks in the top ten London places to stay as part of the “speciality lodgings” category on Tripadvisor.
St Katharine’s is also a thriving arts and community organisation. London’s only Yurt Café is set amidst a wildflower and vegetable community garden complete with bees, and is surrounded by our colourful containers which are used for creative organisations and social projects to benefit the local community.
St Katharine’s has now entered into a new phase in its long history. As a result of the Covid-19 crisis, a dynamic volunteer network, Limehouse Aid, has joined St Katharine’s which now hosts a food bank distributing food to vulnerable families nearby.
St Katharine’s has a rich history of hospitality, going right back to its early roots as the ‘hospital by the tower’. Our ethos is taking care of people and we strive to make everyone feel welcomed and included. Visitors to St Katharine’s will always be greeted with a friendly smile.
The Court is the Foundation’s governing body. At present it comprises 11 trustees, some of whom are ex-officio members (that is they are trustees because of the office they hold) and others are appointed by the Patron, HM The Queen, the Lord Chancellor or by the Court itself.
John O’Brien has held chairman/chief executive/director roles in the public, private and voluntary sectors for 35 years.
He has had extensive involvement in charities for over 30 years. He currently chairs the Board at the Westminster Abbey Trust and the Westminster Abbey Pension Fund, Care and Care for the Family, and is Treasurer of JENGA UK which raises funds to support work amongst the most destitute in a slum area of Eastern Uganda.
He was previously Chair at Action for Children, one of the biggest children’s charities in the UK, as well as Chair at St-Martin-in-the-Fields church in Trafalgar Square.
John, a chartered accountant by training, has been involved in business for most of his life, and is currently involved in a number of organisations, either as an investor or advisor. He was for many years a senior executive at the Veolia Group and, in the late 1990s, was the Government’s Rail Franchising Director, where he was responsible for the delivery of the initial franchising of Britain's 25 passenger train companies.
David Swanney, the Treasurer of St Katharine’s, is a chartered accountant and retired banking regulator. After moving from the accounting profession, David had a twenty-year career at the Bank of England, and latterly the FSA, mostly in banking supervision.
Since 2002, David has worked with the Joint Money Laundering Steering Group – he is the author of the JMLSG’s anti-money laundering Guidance for the financial sector. From 2006 to 2011 he was a public member of the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board. David is also a non-executive director of a number of smaller UK banks, and is a trustee of several charitable organisations, as well as being active in his local deanery within the Diocese of Ely.
Geoffrey Richards is Vice-Chairman and has served on the Court since 2007. He is a retired solicitor and is involved in a number of charities and non-profit organisations. He fully supports RFSK’s twin objectives both as a place of peace for retreats and as an outward looking community centre in a highly diverse area, and believes current development plans will enable the Foundation to pursue those objectives even more effectively.
The Venerable Roger Preece became Master and was installed by The Bishop of London in October 2019.
Roger was previously Archdeacon of St Helens and Warrington, in Liverpool Diocese, having served in that role since 2015, and having previously served as Vicar of Bowdon in Chester Diocese. He was ordained in the Church of England after a distinguished career in financial services in London. Among other roles Roger was a founding partner of Capco, the international financial markets consulting business and a Chief Operating Officer for an international investment bank. He has an interest in leadership development and is an experienced coach to senior executives. He enjoys running and SAAB cars.
As a former nurse, Bishop Sarah had a distinguished service in the NHS before ordination, culminating in her appointment as the Government’s Chief Nursing Officer for England in 1999, when she was the youngest person to be appointed to the post. She was ordained in 2001 and served her curacy in Battersea, initially as a self-supporting minister. She took up full time ministry in 2004, becoming a Team Rector in the Diocese of Southwark, in 2012 Canon Treasurer at Salisbury Cathedral and in 2015 Bishop of Crediton. Bishop Sarah became 133rd Bishop of London on 8 March 2018. She is a member of the Privy Council and House of Lords, and was made a Dame Commander of the British Empire in 2005 in recognition of her outstanding contribution to nursing and midwifery. Bishop Sarah is also an independent Governor at King’s College London.
Andrew is a Chartered Surveyor and has worked across UK and international property markets since the mid-1990s. He works in investor relations for a global investment manager. Appointed as a trustee in 2014 Andrew brings significant experience of property investment and development as well as asset and project management.
Joy Hinson brings to the Court a background of 35 years in academic science and education. She is currently self-employed. She has experience of policy development, staff development, coaching and equalities issues. Joy has served on the board of several charities in the science, education and faith sectors and has an interest in charity governance. Joy joined the Court in 2016 and brings a strongly Christian feminist perspective to discussions. In her spare time Joy is a gardener, cook, writer and eco-warrior.
Kay’s experience ranges from Whitehall to management consultancy, with the final three roles in her career having been with The Queen’s Household, the Lord Mayor of London’s office at Mansion House, and with the Archbishop of Canterbury at Lambeth Palace.
Her particular skills, developed while working in ex-communist countries across central and Eastern Europe, lie in helping organisations to adapt to a changing world, and advising on business management issues. She has an MBA from London Business School.
Kay’s voluntary roles have included chairing Dance United, a charity helping young people at risk of offending; school Governor; Trustee of the Academy of Ancient Music; member of the Independent Monitoring Board of Wandsworth prison; chair of her Oxford college alumni; member of the LSO Advisory Council; and a Deputy Lieutenant for London.
Elizabeth Marshall is the Bishop of Stepney’s nominee to the Court; she currently chairs the Steering Committee on the major Northern Site project which she believes offers RFSK a very exciting future of worship, hospitality, and service to the community. Elizabeth is a long-term member of a nearby parish, a member of Deanery and Diocesan Synods and is a lay member of the Diocesan Audit Committee. With a background in public service, before retirement, Elizabeth was in senior management at the financial services regulator. She has since carried several voluntary roles, including ten years on the Council of Queen Mary University of London, and seven as a director of the then regulatory body for ethical standards in local government. She continues to work on ethical standards in other organisations, and as a charity trustee.
Diana is a Brand, Sales and Marketing Executive with over 35 years’ experience in the Hospitality Industry. She was born in Aden, then a British Protectorate, following which she spent her childhood in Ethiopia. This was the foundation that gave her an interest and understanding of different cultures and her curiosity for travel.
Diana is a highly respected professional, with an energetic and passionate approach. Her areas of expertise include Commercial Strategy, Brand Development, Global Sales Strategy, Distribution, traditional and digital Marketing, Performance Management, Revenue Management, Public Relations and Communications. She has held senior Global Sales and Marketing positions with prominent companies in the hospitality and travel sectors in Europe, Asia and the Middle East, and in recent years, she has curated brands and overseen launches for iconic hotels and resorts, including Raffles Hotels and Resorts, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group and Langham Hotels International.
Sophie subsequently joined the Royal Household, becoming Assistant Private Secretary to The former Duchess of Cornwall in 2008, and then Private Secretary in 2021.
In 2024 it was confirmed that Queen Camilla would become Patron of the Royal Foundation of St Katharine in succession to Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.Michele is a charity professional specialising in board governance. She recently stepped down as a trustee and chair of fundraising at The Choral Foundation, His Majesty's Chapel Royal, Hampton Court Palace after 12 years and holds a number of other charity board positions.
She was previously an in house lawyer with The Royal British Legion. As a charity solicitor, Michele has a particular focus on supporting organisations and campaigns addressing social issues such as child food poverty, homelessness, mental health, and education.
As Secretary, she is excited to support the important work of St Katharine's and its community projects.
Are you friendly, hard-working and passionate about hospitality? Want to work for one of the oldest charities in the country, at our beautiful setting in East London?
At the Royal Foundation of St Katharine, we treat all staff fairly and respectfully and provide a training environment where people are given the opportunity to achieve growth and fulfilment in their professional life.
Where possible, we recruit staff from the local community and try to ensure we reflect its diversity. We endeavour to ensure that each employee is treated without discrimination and with attention to individual circumstances. We value all our staff and everyone is paid at least the London Living Wage.
We actively support talent of all ages to develop their skills through two-way communication and mentoring at all levels.
We aim to encourage our staff team to exhibit traditional values based on honesty and fairness. We hope to create managers with the above qualities alongside financial awareness and a desire to empower their team.
St Katharine’s is easily accessible via excellent public transport links. We are just by Limehouse Station on the Docklands Light Railway (DLR), which runs directly to Bank and Tower Gateway stations (5 minutes) where the London Underground can be joined. It is on the main dedicated cycle way between Canary Wharf and the City/West End.
Located in Zone 2, St Katharine’s is perfectly positioned for access to the attractions of London’s West End. For the theatre goer, the shopper, or those who wish to explore London’s historic sites, St Katharine’s provides a great base. For those who wish to explore the more immediate East End, St Katharine’s is walking distance from many local attractions.
Take the Central, Northern or Waterloo and City line to Bank OR the Circle or District line to Monument and walk to Bank, then get on the DLR to Limehouse (2 stops, 5 minutes).
Alternatively, take the Jubilee Line to Canary Wharf or Canning Town (easier change) then the DLR to Limehouse - 4 minutes and 4 stops from Canary Wharf, 5 stops and 9 minutes from Canning Town.
Arriving at Limehouse station, take the Bekesbourne Street exit. Turn left onto Bekesbourne Street and then right at the ‘Grocery Station’ on the corner. Immediately on your left is the entrance to St. Katharine’s precinct and Yurt Café. Our main reception is on the other side of the precinct and on your left through the car park. If you arrive in the evening and our precinct gate is locked, continue straight under the railway bridge and take the first left onto Butcher Row. Take the first left into St. Katharine’s. Our main reception is on your right through the car park
To plan your journey, visit www.tfl.gov.uk.
Limehouse is serviced by many buses which are convenient for local trips around the East End. The routes with stops nearby are 115, 135 and 15. For more details of buses that run from Limehouse visit www.tfl.gov.uk.
Guests may wish to pre-book their journey with Addison Lee, a reliable taxi company offering fixed fares. Book online or call 0207 387 8888 to book your taxi.
For guests arriving by car, we recommend using Google Maps. Please be aware that using our postcode with many sat nav systems will direct you incorrectly. We advise inputting ‘2 Butcher Row, London’. Parking can be paid for on arrival in our gated car park.
Take the Elizabeth line (towards Abbey Wood) to Canary Wharf. From there, take the DLR towards Bank and travel 2 stops to Limehouse.
Take the Gatwick Express or Southern Train to Victoria station. Once at Victoria, take the District or Circle Line Eastbound to Tower Hill Station. Walk across the road to Tower Gateway DLR station. Take the DLR to Limehouse, which is 2 stops away.
Take the Stansted Express to Liverpool Street. From here, the number 135 bus will take you directly to Limehouse, Commercial Road. Alight the bus and walk back on yourself slightly and cross over the road at the lights. Continue walking down Butcher Row and take the 2nd turning on the left into our car park. Alternatively, a taxi from Liverpool Street should cost no more than £12-15.
Take the DLR towards Bank or Tower Gateway and alight at Limehouse station.
Take the First Capital Connect Service towards London Kings Cross St Pancras. From here, take the Northern Line to Bank, where you can take the DLR 2 stops to Limehouse.
The Royal Foundation of St Katharine
2 Butcher Row, London, E14 8DS
COPYRIGHT 2023 The Royal Foundation of St. Katharine | Registered Charity No. 223849