Garwyn Linnell refills a cup of nettle tea during an event at the Crypt Gallery in London on Feb. 28, 2026. The tea ceremony, which runs through March 28, invites people to experience tea in ways beyond the taste of it. (Loretto Morris/Stars and Stripes)
London has a legendary abundance of sites at street level, but some of the city’s most intriguing spaces sit underground.
One of them is the London Crypt Gallery, tucked beneath St Pancras Parish Church. The 19th-century crypt once served as a burial site before closing in 1854.
It functioned as an air-raid shelter during World War II, and today it operates as a venue hosting arts exhibitions and events — along with the more than 500 bodies that remain interred beneath the floor.
The shiver that fact brought down my spine immediately made me want to see the place, as the brick arches and shadowy corners looked straight out of a film set.
So I booked the first events that fit my schedule, even though neither was something I would normally attend: a tea-drinking ceremony and a sound journey featuring throat singing and ocarinas.
Both were hosted by Sense Ability, a grassroots group that puts New Age notions into practice in intriguing ways.
Flexibility is what makes the gallery worth visiting. It is not a traditional museum with permanent exhibits, so the experience depends entirely on what is on the calendar.
People listen to a musical performance featuring flutes, shamanic drums, Tibetan singing bowls and jaw harps at the Crypt Gallery in London, on Feb. 28, 2026. The performance, led by Garwyn Linnell, was part of an experiential exhibit. (Loretto Morris/Stars and Stripes)
Garwyn Linnell, right, and Joe Dalziel introduce themselves and their musical instrument assortment at the Crypt Gallery in London on Feb. 28, 2026. Linnell and Dalziel call themselves “sound healing” artists who provide immersive sonic experiences. (Loretto Morris/Stars and Stripes)
The tea ceremony event, which runs through March 28, was less instructional than I expected. Instead of learning tea preparation techniques, we focused on how the tea made us feel.
Led by Garwyn Linnell, the session invited us to hold, smell and taste two types while describing our reactions. The nettle tea tasted earthy and medicinal, while the rosemary variety was sharply bitter and cleared my sinuses almost instantly.
The setting made the experience feel immersive rather than intimidating. Between sessions, I took time to wander the crypt.
The space is cool and dim, with light pooling against brick columns and ceilings that swallow sound. Even with traffic rushing overhead, it feels removed from the city.
The Sense Ability apothecary at the Crypt Gallery in London displays botanical products including dried herbs, tea, incense and soaps, on Feb. 28, 2026. (Loretto Morris/Stars and Stripes)
Garwyn Linnell plays the cello at the Crypt Gallery in London on Feb. 28, 2026. The gallery was repurposed as an event space in 2002 after previously being used as a shelter during World War II. (Loretto Morris/Stars and Stripes)
Sense Ability also has a small apothecary in the crypt stocked with teas, incense, soaps, botanical sprays and other items.
I left with a cedar facial mist, billed as a spiritual cleanse designed to reinvigorate one’s spirit, and a bar of seaweed soap that smells divine.
Linnell and Joe Dalziel were the artists at the musical performance I attended, which was closer to a small concert than a meditation.
Linnell and Dalziel call themselves “sound healers” who create immersive audio experiences using ancient instruments in therapeutic fashion.
Linnell draws inspiration from ancient Celtic and Taoist philosophies as well as his Welsh and Chinese heritage, while Dalziel uses Central Asian throat singing and Mesoamerican wind instruments to explore sound.
I didn’t know what to expect coming in to the performance, but I was blown away by the multitude of instruments and techniques.
A cello, flutes, shamanic drums and Tibetan singing bowls filled the chamber with low, resonant vibrations, and the throat singing echoed off the stone.
While this duo doesn’t have an encore in the block of upcoming events at the gallery, there are several other musical performances hosted by Sense Ability that can be booked online.
Nols Nathankski records an episode of his “Make Poetry Weird Again” podcast inside the Crypt Gallery in London on Feb. 25, 2026. The gallery hosts experimental art shows, performances and alternative programming. (Loretto Morris/Stars and Stripes)
In addition, the venue regularly hosts experimental art shows and alternative programming like the “Make Poetry Weird Again” podcast led by Nols Nathankski, a self-described “poetry antagonist.
The program is an experimental poetry movement focusing on raw and unconventional on-site performance.
One of the upcoming events is an immersive exhibition called “Down the Rabbit Hole,” featuring work by the late Katya Kan. It includes paintings, sculpture and musical performances.
Also on the horizon at the gallery is the participatory project “Many Windows” by ceramicist and art psychotherapist Georgia Arben-Crowther.
If something on the schedule sparks your curiosity, book it even if the theme sits outside your comfort zone.
The atmosphere alone makes a visit to the Crypt Gallery worthwhile. That’s what drew me there, and the allure of the place turned out to be so much more than met the eye.
Garwyn Linnell plays a custom-made, three-chamber ocarina at the Crypt Gallery in London on Feb. 28, 2026. (Loretto Morris/Stars and Stripes)
Crypt Gallery London
Address: 165 Euston Road, London. Gallery is underneath St Pancras Church.
Cost: Free admission when no events are scheduled. Check website for event-specific costs. Sense Ability sound journey: 18.25 pounds, Sense Ability tea ceremony: 24.25 pounds, combination ticket for both events: 30 pounds.
Hours: 3-8 p.m. on weekdays, noon-8 p.m. on weekends. Check website for event-specific hours.
Information: cryptgallery.org
