'Crutched Friars' by Michael Black

The Crutched Friars.

On the corner of Crutched Friars and Rangoon Street, built into the corner of a building, you will find this statue of two friars. But, what is their story?

The Statue.

Erected in 1985, the statue is made of red granite, marble and bronze and was created by the sculptor Michael Black.

The Crutched Friars: A brief history.

The Crutched Friars were a Roman Catholic religious order, who first came to England in 1244. They asked the Diocese of Rochester if they could settle in the country and, on being granted approval, founded their first house in either Colchester or Reigate, on which books you read, in 1245. They were a branch of the Belgian Canons Regular of the Order of the Holy Cross.

They also settled in Barham, Brackley, Great Welnetham, Kildale,Oxford, Wotton-under-Edge and York, among other places.

It wasn't until 1249 that they founded a monastery in London, near Tower Hill, giving their name to the area. Up until the 17th century the whole of Crutched Friars was Hart Street. Hart Street now forms just the western end and is just 50 metres (164 feet) in length.

The Crutched Friars were suppressed, in 1538, with the Dissolution of the Monasteries.

The Crutched Friars pub.

Following the dissolution, the church was turned into a carpenter's yard and tennis court, while the friars' hall became a glasshouse.

In 1575, a fire destroyed much of the remaining structures, leaving only the stone walls. 

The Crutched Friars pub now stands on the historic site of the former priory, with the area itself preserving the memory of the religious house.