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St Columba's Church is one of the two London congregations of the Church of Scotland. The other being near Bow Street Covent Garden. This church building is located in Pont Street, Knightsbridge, SW1, near Harrods department store. The presence of Scottish Presbyterianism in London dates back to the Union of the Crowns in 1603. A congregation was established near what is now Trafalgar Square, with a permanent church later being built in Crown Court near Covent Garden. This church is still in use, although rebuilt. The growth in the Scottish community in London resulted in the need for a larger church than Crown Court Church alone could accommodate. The original St Columba's Church building of 1884 was destroyed by wartime bombing during the night of 10 May 1941. It was rebuilt on the same site in the 1950s to a striking contemporary design by the architect Sir Edward Maufe, who also designed Guildford Cathedral. Two previous ministers of St Columba's Church served as Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland (Very Reverend J. Fraser McLuskey and Very Reverend John H McIndoe). The Mandarin Oriental, Hyde Park in London (Hyde Park) is located in Knightsbridge, (the dick van dyke roof-top is visable from this tower) opposite Harvey Nichols department store. Its restaurant Foliage is regarded as one of the best in London and is often frequented by film stars and models as well as other celebrities, when they find themselves in London. It has been frequented in the past by the singers Madonna and Britney Spears, the hotel was also used to host the 80th birthday party of Baroness Thatcher in late 2005. Pont Street panorama. . The silouette of the London Eye encirlcling the Shell House Building SE1 o0o