St Mary Aldermary - Watling Street, London, UK
N 51° 30.758 W 000° 05.605
30U E 701678 N 5710839
This church was built between 1679 and 1682 following the Great Fire of London. It is contained between Queen Victoria Street and Watling Street to the east of St Paul's Cathedral.
Waymark Code: WMJ9N6
Location: London, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 10/15/2013
Views: 2
The
church's website tells us:
The Great Fire of London
Although the church was one of the 89 City churches destroyed or badly
damaged in the Great Fire of 1666, the foundations and parts of the walls,
as well as the base of the tower, remained intact. Some money was provided
for temporary repair of the tower in 1676, but it was not until 1679 that
finance became available for major restoration of the church. In many of the
histories of the church it is said that the money came from the estate of
Henry Rogers, a wealthy Somerset gentleman, and was given on condition that
the new church would be a copy of the old building. While it is true that
the benefactor was Henry Rogers, it is now established that no such
condition was imposed by him.
After the Great Fire - Christopher Wren - new Gothic design
The post-Fire church, built in the period 1679-82 under the supervision of
John Oliver, one of Christopher Wren's deputies, does, however follow the
Late Perpendicular style of the Keeble church. There are probably several
reasons for this: the fact that it was the wish of the parish that the
structure of the new church should as far as possible be like that of the
old, the greater independence which the parish had in the design of the
church because they were not reliant on money from the Coal Tax, and the
economic sense of making use of the walls and the foundations that remained
after the Fire. The church is the only surviving Wren church in the City of
London built in the Gothic style.
World War II
The church escaped relatively lightly in the 1939-45 War: all the windows
were shattered and some plaster fell from the vaulting but the building
itself remained intact.
The
church's website also tells us:
There has been a church on this site for over 900
years and its name is usually taken to mean that it is the oldest of the
City churches dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Stow, in his 1598 Survey of
London, mentioned various dignitaries who were benefactors or who were
buried in the early church. These include Richard Chaucer, vintner, a
relative of the poet Geoffrey Chaucer.
In 1510, Sir Henry Keeble, a grocer and Lord Mayor, financed the building of
a new church on the site. When he died in 1518, however, the tower was
substantially unfinished and remained so until 1629 when two legacies
enabled it to be completed. The church was said to have been among the
largest and finest of the City's churches and a number of City notables were
buried there. John Milton, the poet, married his third wife in the church in
1663. The parish registers date from 1558, the year Elizabeth I ascended the
throne. All documents now extant are deposited in the Guildhall Library.
The church is a Grade I listed building with the entry at the
English Heritage website telling us:
Late C17, by Wren, incorporating work of early C16 and
early C17, especially in tower. Perpendicular Gothic style. Aisled body of 6
bays with clerestory and very short chancel. South west tower. Portland
stone with buttresses, south doorway etc added in C19. Pair of elaborate
finials to chancel. Tower has octagonal, panelled turrets with ogee caps and
a pierced parapet. North east vestry. Adjoining buildings at north west
corner. Interior has rich fan vault in plaster, with shallow domes. Further
plaster enrichment to spandrels of arcade. Panelling, reredos, pews and
organ case C19 Gothic. Carved pulpit, doorway at west end, font and railing
are late C17. Wall monuments.
Like many other public buildings in the City of London they are closed at
weekends. This church is no different. It is open Monday to Friday from 11am to
3pm for visitors.
Services are held on Mondays (BCP) at 1.05pm and Thursdays (CW) at 1.05pm.
Date the Church was built, dedicated or cornerstone laid: 01/01/1682
Age of Church building determined by?: Church website
If denomination of Church is not part of the name, please provide it here: Anglican
If Church is open to the public, please indicate hours: From: 11:00 AM To: 3:00 PM
If Church holds a weekly worship service and "all are welcome", please give the day of the week: Monday
Indicate the time that the primary worship service is held. List only one: 1:05 PM
Street address of Church: Watling Street London, United Kingdom EC4M 9BW
Primary website for Church or Historic Church Building: [Web Link]
Secondary Website for Church or Historic Church Building: [Web Link]
|
Visit Instructions:1) A photo of the church is required for visits to a waymark. 2) Please share some comments about your visit. 3) Additional photos are encouraged. If you can have information in addition to that already provided about this church, please share it with us.
|