Preaching was everywhere in eighteenth-century England. Sermons were an important part of the religious experience of the English people, who heard them at their parish churches and meeting houses on Sundays and religious holidays, and at funerals. Preaching was also expected at political anniversaries and elections, thanksgiving and fast days, and society and charity meetings, all of which were major occasions on the English political and social calendars. While sermons were a part of everyday life for many English people, the largest centre for preaching in the nation was, unquestionably, London. With its dozens of parish churches, chapels and meeting houses, the Chapel Royal at St James's Palace, St Paul's Cathedral and Westminster Abbey, the capital city encompassed the most numerous and widest variety of preaching venues in the nation. Londoners, with the inclination and leisure, could have attended several sermons on Sunday and a number during the week, sampling the work of many preachers. Those people with less free time still might have heard two sermons on a Sunday, either attending both sermons at their church or hearing one there and then going to another church for a second sermon. The presence of the court, parliament and many societies and charities also provided further opportunities for preaching. Thus, there were numerous sermons delivered around the capital on any given day. Certainly, some of the larger urban centres offered a wide variety of sermons to their inhabitants, but none on the scale of London.