All Hallows by the Tower

All Hallows by the Tower is the oldest church in the City of London.

All Hallows means 'all saints' and the feast was instituted when martyrdoms increased during the persecutions of the late Roman Empire in order to ensure that all martyrs, known and unknown, were properly honoured. All Saints Day has been celebrated on November 1st since the 8th century.

1st-5th century: The Romans

In the crypt museum, still in its original place and at the ground level of Roman times, is a section of tessellated floor from a 2nd century dwelling. There are also other artefacts from the Roman occupation of this site. 

5th-11th century: The Saxons

In 675 AD Erkenwald was made Bishop of London and founded, on this site, a chapel of Barking Abbey, where his sister, Ethelberga, served as Abbess. Whilst the first church was made of wood, the undercroft and the great Saxon arch probably date from the 8th century and are part of the first stone church on this site. The Saxon arch is believed to be the oldest Saxon arch within the City of London.

11th-15th century: Medieval Times

All Hallows passed between various ownership from the turn of the first millennium to the 16th century. In 1539 it was exchanged to the patronage of the Archbishop of Canterbury, where it remains to this day.

12th-14th century: The Order of the Knights Templar

In 1119 the Order of the Knights Templar was founded. They would go on to become wealthy and influential throughout Europe, which brought them into conflict with the Catholic church. In 1307, Pope Clement instructed all Christian monarchs to arrest Templar Knights and seize their assets. King Edward II, who was unenthusiastic about this, was compelled to receive Inquisition Judges and, in 1311, trials were held at All Hallows.

The altar, in the Undercroft Chapel, is made of stones from Richard I's Castle Atlit, in Palestine.

'Exquisite Pain' by Damien Hirst

'Exquisite Pain'.

"I like the confusion you get between science and religion...

that's where belief lies and art as well."

- Damien Hirst

Inside the Priory Church of St Bartholomew-the-Great, in the south transept, you will find an anatomically correct statue of St Bartholomew. The statue has his skin draped over his right arm, with his right hand holding a scalpel. His left hand holds a pair of scissors.

It is a striking piece, eerily gleaming against the darkness of the interior of the church, which, when first seen, is very unsettling. However, the more I studied it the more captivated I became.

The Ratcliff Highway Murders and the Aftermath

The Ratcliff Highway Murders.

In two incidents, between December 7th and 19th, 1811, seven people from two families were murdered in what would become known as the Ratcliff Highway Murders. This was one of London's first major serial murder cases, which deeply shocked Victorian society. 

At midnight on Saturday December 7th, at 29 Ratcliff Highway (now The Highway), Mr Timothy Marr, a draper, sent his maid out for oysters before he and his apprentice, James Gowan, closed the drapery for the night. On her return the maid could not rouse them to gain entry and so summoned a watchman, who also failed to make entry.

29 Ratcliff Highway is now a block of flats.

A neighbour, John Murray, who finally managed to enter, found the draper and apprentice murdered in a blood-spattered room, downstairs, and Marr's wife Celia and their child Timothy dead, upstairs. The weapons, a chisel and a maul hammer, lay on the shop floor. Two pairs of footprints were found in the back of the shop.

The site of the second murders.

On Thursday December 19th, a nearly naked man escaped from a second-floor window of the King's Arms public house, at 81 New Gravel Lane (now Garnet Street), shouting, "They are murdering the people in the house!" The publican, John Williamson, his wife, Elizabeth, and their maid, Bridget Anna Harrington, were later found dead with fractured skulls and their throats cut. A crowbar was found beside John Williamson, but no knife or sharp implement was discovered.

The City of London Thoroughfare with Four Names

So which road am I on? Peter's Hill or Sermon Lane?

If you cross the London MillenniuM Footbridge, heading north, then you will find yourself on Peter's Hill. Continuing north, crossing Queen Victoria Street, you continue on Peter's Hill... or, do you?

You see Peter's Hill never came this far north, stopping at Knightrider Street, which itself has been shortened. Now, Peter's Hill joins with Sermon Lane, Knightrider Court and St Paul's Vista, all of which have signs stating these names. So, what is going on here?

Historically, Peter's Hill, Sermon Lane, and Knightrider Court were three separate, ancient streets. The former two were merged into one continuous route, primarily known as Peter's Hill, to create a wide approach to the London MillenniuM Footbridge, when it was developed in the late 20th century.

The City of London, however, chose not to eliminate the historic names entirely, so all three names were kept for different sections of the newly integrated route, leading to the current mess where maps, from different companies, label the same thoroughfare with different names. 

The sloped Sermon Lane with the stepped Peter's Hill.

Today, Sermon Lane is to the west of Peter's Hill and is now a sloped walkway, which separates it from Peter's Hill. This makes Sermon Lane more useful to those with mobility issues, pushchairs and such, as Peter's Hill (St Paul's Vista) has many granite steps.

Walking with Family: Getting into the Christmas Spirit

Blue Ball Yard.

Friday December 12, 2025.

Erin arrived home from school, at which point Emma left to meet Keilyn from school. I arrived home shortly after and, once we were ready, waited for my mum, before booking a taxi to Watford underground station, where Emma and Keilyn were awaiting our arrival.

We boarded our train and settled into our seats for the trip to Finchley Road. Here we changed to a Jubilee line train and continued our journey to Green Park. We exited the station via the Green Park entrance and began our walk at Piccadilly and the magnificent Ritz Hotel. 

Hancocks on St James's Street.

Instead of following the crowds we turned down St James's Street and admired the various Christmas trees and window displays that the businesses and shops displayed. Jermyn Street was the first street with lights stretched across it, that we saw. We passed Hancocks Goldsmiths, before we entered Blue Ball Yard, where the American Bar was festooned with Christmas decorations.

A Christmas tree in London's smallest square.

We then crossed the road and entered Pickering Place, London' smallest square, where a Christmas tree took up much of the place. We left Pickering Place and continued down St James's Street and turned onto Pall Mall until we reached Waterloo Place, with its blue star-topped Christmas tree. Here, more 'Angel' Christmas lights stretched across the road.

The Norwegian spruce in Trafalgar Square.

We then continued along Pall Mall onto Pall Mall East, which brought us to Trafalgar Square and the giant Norwegian spruce at its centre. A Christmas market, filled with stalls selling all sorts of trinkets, gifts and food occupied the area outside the steps to The National Gallery, while a choir sang carols from in front of the Trafalgar Square Christmas tree.

St Martin's Lane.

On leaving Trafalgar Square we headed up Charing Cross Road and onto St Martin's Lane, with its Theatreland Christmas lights. 

Goodwin's Court cottages.

As we approached New Row, my mum, Keilyn and I decided to walk through Goodwin's Court, while Emma and Erin continued along New Row. With its gas-fuelled lamps and cottages that have been here since the 17th century, this thoroughfare is a time capsule of old London. We weren't the only ones using the street, as a small group of people had also chosen this route, but, in their case, for its association with Harry Potter.

Covent Garden Christmas tree.

We exited Goodwin's Court, onto Bedfordbury, and joined New Row, where we headed east along King Street, where we met up with Emma and Erin by the Covent Garden Christmas tree. Emma and Erin had witnessed the 'snow' falling, which occurs every hour, but were less than impressed with it. It was a 'bubble-machine', that lasted less than a minute. 

Royal Opera House Arcade.