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.

Church of St Bartholomew-the-Less

The entrance to the church of St Bartholomew-the-Less.

Having recently visited the Priory Church of St Bartholomew-the-Great I thought that I should make a visit to the smaller church, set within the grounds of St Bartholomew's Hospital, St Bartholomew-the-Less.

As I expected from the name this church is definitely smaller, but it still has a long and fascinating history.

Definitely the Lesser of the two churches to St Bartholomew.

Considering the darkness that seems to have taken a hold of the interior of St Bartholomew-the Great, it was nice to enter a bright church, which seemed, at least to me, to be much more modern.

However, as it turns out, the Less is only a few years younger than the Great, having been established in around 1184.

I was thankful that it was still early in the day, so that I had the chance to explore the church without interruption. 

Inside the church of St Bartholomew-the-Less.

After a good look around and after taking plenty of photographs I made my way out into the hospital grounds. Well, since I was there and I do work in a hospital myself it only seemed the right thing to do.

London's Lost Churches

Christchurch Greyfriars Church Garden.

On my many wanders around and through the City of London, I have always been struck by the amount of churches dotted throughout. Occasionally, I have stumbled across the ruins of churches either destroyed in the Great Fire of 1666 or bombed via Zeppelin raids of World War I, or the Blitz of World War II.

Some of these ruins have been turned into pocket parks or gardens of remembrance, while others have been lost forever, with, very little to show that they were ever there.

St Mary Aldermanbury Garden.

I soon became intrigued to see if there was a complete list of churches within the City of London that were either still standing, ruined or lost to the ravages of time. 

Priory Church of St Bartholomew-the-Great

Priory Church of St Bartholomew-the-Great.

Monday March 27, 2023.

Wandering around the London, as I do, I invariably stumble across places or discover hidden gems on a regular basis, that I was unaware of. The City of London is no different for me. Although the area is renowned for its business district, skyscrapers, popular landmarks and the such, there is an abundance of history to be found along its maze-like streets.

Today was different as I had gone to London specifically to visit the medieval Priory Church of St Bartholomew-the-Great, in the year that marks the 900th anniversary of the building.

St Bartholomew's Gatehouse.

I entered the grounds of the church through St Bartholomew's gatehouse, which was once the southern doorway of the nave, which was destroyed in 1536. 

I walked along the the path and entered the church which, considering it had only been open for 15 minuted, was full of visitors on a coach tour. So, I took my time exploring this fascinating building, waiting for the crowd to move on so that I could get some photos. I am not one that likes people in my photos, if I can help it.

Looking towards the altar.

I didn't have to wait too long and I was soon looking around the church alone and in silence.

St Pancras Old Church

 

St Pancras Old Church

Wednesday February 16, 2022.

It was an unseasonably warm morning as Keilyn and I headed to London, for a wander long the Regent's Canal from St John's Wood to King's Cross.

Altar

Towards the end of our journey, as a slight drizzle could be felt on the breeze, we visited St Pancras Old Church where we also saw the Hardy Tree and the Sir John Soane Mausoleum.

Monument removed from the Old Chapel, Highgate.

Fortunately for us the church was open, so we stepped inside this historic building and had a good look around. Before we left we made a small donation for some votive candles, lit them and then continued on our journey.

Sir John Soane Mausoleum

'Faith in the City of London' by photographer Niki Gorick

Candid conversations and sermons.

Were you aware that, within London's Square Mile, there are over 40 churches? I wasn't.

Back in October 2019 a Kickstarter campaign reached its goal and this book, 'Faith in the City of London' by Niki Gorick, was the result. I was one of the 140 backers and opted for a signed copy that also came with a thank you card with personal message.

It took Niki over 200 visits over four years, with unprecedented access to family weddings, festivals, events and some hidden rituals. Each photograph was caught as it happened, with nothing posed or staged. 

The result is a book that captures and reveals the close ties between the 40-odd churches, that lie within the Square Mile, and the financial district of London, all captured in over 150 photographs. The introduction is by art critic Edward Lucie-Smith and the foreword is by the Lord Mayor of London, William Russell.

St Paul's Cathedral

A Monument to Worship, for all time.

Friday August 5, 2016.

Of all the iconic buildings in and around the Unfinished City, St Paul's Cathedral, quite possibly, stands head and shoulders above the rest. It is a building with such rich history and great architecture that it is one of the most visited buildings in the world. 

However, to my own dismay, it is a building that I have yet to see the interior of. 

Hopefully I can rectify this next year.