Beyond St Paul’s

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House of God? City of London? Historic? Designed by Sir Christopher Wren?

St Paul’s Cathedral, yeah?

Er, maybe not. For there’s something like a couple of dozen churches within the City of London that were designed by Sir Christopher and still standing today that aren’t St Paul’s.

So, in keeping with my previous post, about lesser-known sights around the City, this post is a celebration of them, and another two-dozen or so non-Wren churches in the City, none of which gets anything like as much attention as St Paul’s does.

That’s understandable, obviously, seeing as St Paul’s is the daddy of them all, in terms of size, grandeur, history etc.

However, with all those also come crowds and bustle, and if those aren’t your ‘things’, these churches are useful alternatives to know about – especially if you’re looking for a quiet place to contemplate/pray. (And – also – don’t fancy paying 20 quid or so to get into St Paul’s. Which I don’t have a problem with per se – St Paul’s is stunning, and must cost an arm and a leg per second to maintain – but it’s still a lot of money for some people to find. But please do – seriously – consider making a donation to any church/es you do visit, otherwise they won’t survive for other people to enjoy.)

Although I found most of ‘my’ churches while (again – see my previous post) just wandering around, a great source of information about all the churches, Wren and otherwise, is the Friends of City Churches, a group dedicated to protecting and promoting the City’s churches: http://www.london-city-churches.org.uk. (Thanks to them for letting me use some pics from their website, btw.)

I’ve visited only a fraction of the 50-odd churches, and just because I haven’t chanced upon one yet, that doesn’t mean it isn’t just as lovely and/or as interesting as the ones I have already found.

All Hallows by the Tower

Pic ©Friends of City Churches

The oldest City church, dating from AD675.

It survived the Great Fire, and other calamities as well, including the mass closure of churches brought about by the Union of Benefices Act of 1860 (which caused parishes to be merged after a decline in the city’s population), but was bombed almost to smithereens during World War II.

Pic ©Friends of City Churches

Only the walls and tower were left standing, and the church was rebuilt within them. It’s like a simplified, pared-down version of a medieval Gothic style (Perpendicular, I suppose), which makes a great contrast with the original, ancient bits.

There’s also a Roman pavement and a museum containing artefacts from Roman times to the 20th Century in the crypt. And a pretty nice cafe as well – always a bonus!

St Olave, Hart Street

Possibly most famous for being the burial place of diarist Samuel Pepys, who worked in the naval offices nearby. Like All Hallows… St Olave survived the Great Fire, and the centuries, but was damaged in the Blitz. It was restored and reopened in 1954. Is it sacrilegious to say it reminded me a bit of a 1970s country pub – all white walls and stone arches and sort-of cosy feeling? I hope not, because I really liked it:

St Mary Aldermary

Destroyed in the Great Fire, rebuilt under the supervision of Sir Christopher Wren (in Gothic Perpendicular style), sustained only minimal damage in the Blitz

Just look at that ceiling! And that graceful tower!:

For anyone interested more in the spiritual side of the church than the architecture, it’s the base of the Moot monastic community: http://www.moot.uk.net

St Mary at Hill

Another Wren church, and “The Church for Billingsgate”, which once served the nearby Billingsgate fish market. The fish market moved a couple of decades ago but the connection remains – you know the traditional harvest festival, with fruit and veg and corn dollies everywhere? Well, St Mary at Hill has the same – only with fish.

The main part of the church is square, with arches and a dome, and is very light and airy; if you’re feeling claustrophobic in the City, this is a good place to escape to. And there’s some interesting old monuments in the ‘old’ part of the church, the bit/s that survived the Fire, including a 17th Century ‘Doomstone’, or a relief carving of the Resurrection.

St Stephen Walbrook

Another Wren church, famous for its plaster dome (and the fact that this was where Wren experimented with his design for St Paul’s); Henry Moore altar (that weighty stone disc in the middle of the church, under the dome), and the fact that vicar Chad Varah founded The Samaritans there – and the actual telephone he used is on display in the church. (The story is here: https://ststephenwalbrook.net/history/chad-varah, and well worth a read it is too.

St Martin-within-Ludgate

Another Wren church, literally a minute’s walk from St Paul’s Cathedral. It’s rather small and quiet, so great for anyone feeling the need to contemplate.

If you’re going for sights, though, well, it’s where the parents of William (Pennsylvania) Penn were married, and Pocahontas (no less!) worshipped, and look out for the 18th Century chandelier still lit by candles, and the bread shelves, where, in the 17th Century, wealthy parishioners could leave bread for the poor.

Oh, and marvel, as I did, at the barley twist woodwork on the pulpit (made in 1680, but restored around 10 years ago).

St Mary Abchurch

(I’ve just realised there’s an awful lot of St Mary’s in this post!)

Wren (again), with an interior probably nothing like you’re expecting from the outside, and a reredos carved by Grinling Gibbons. The dome was damaged during the Blitz, but restored in the 1950s. It’s Grade I listed, too: https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1359119

St Mary-le-Bow

Wren, again. The interior is pleasant enough, but it’s the contents of the tower that make this one particularly special.

You know that thing about someone only being a proper Cockney if they were born within the sound of Bow bells? Well, it’s St Mary-le-Bow’s bells that they’re talking about. Although I’m not sure whether anyone could be born within the sound of them nowadays – and if they were, if they’d class themselves as a Cockney. I dunno, can you be a Cockney if you live in a million-quid posh ‘apartment’?

Café Below, in the crypt, is a nice place to know about for lunch, too. (I’m really not obsessed with cafés, honest!)