UNITED KINGDOM
Telegraph
Jane Mathews
6 NOVEMBER 2016
A London church built by a Victorian sex cult is at the centre of a legal battle over who should receive the proceeds from its sale.
The £1 million grade II* listed building was erected by a sect called the Abode of Love, which was founded by a defrocked priest alleged to have had sex with a virgin on a billiard table in front of his followers.
Henry James Prince started the cult in Somerset in 1846 using donations from wealthy, unmarried women after being expelled from the Anglican church.
As the group gained popularity they built other churches around the country, including the Ark of the Covenant in Clapton, north London.
When Prince died in 1902, he was succeeded by John Hugh Smyth-Piggott, another defrocked priest who gave racy sermons and told his followers that he was the second coming of Christ.
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