List of churches in the City of London

This is a list of cathedrals, churches and chapels in the City of London. The list focuses on the more permanent churches and buildings which identify themselves as places of Christian worship. The denominations appended are those by which they self-identify.

St Paul's Cathedral viewed from near the Thames

History

Wren and Anglican churches

Before the Great Fire of London in 1666, the City of London had around 100 churches in an area of only one square mile (2.6 km2). Of the 86 destroyed by the Fire, 51 were rebuilt along with St Paul's Cathedral.[1] The majority have traditionally been regarded as the work of Sir Christopher Wren, but although their rebuilding was entrusted primarily to him, the role of his various associates, including Robert Hooke and Nicholas Hawksmoor especially, is currently being reassessed and given greater emphasis.[2][3]

With regard to Anglican churches, as opposed to Catholic churches, nonconformist chapels or meeting houses, the designs of the Wren office provided a new standard for British church architecture ever since,[4] as well as giving a distinctive face to the Anglican church in London.[5] Wren also designed a number of Anglican churches outside the City, including St James's, Piccadilly and St Clement Danes. After the Wren era, Hawksmoor was responsible for six of the great Anglican churches in the East End of London (for example Christ Church, Spitalfields), and other architects such as Hooke, James Gibbs and John James contributed significantly to Anglican church architecture in London.

Metropolitan area
The King's Weigh House building on Duke Street, Mayfair (designed by Alfred Waterhouse and an example of nonconformist church architecture) today serves as the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral of the Holy Family in Exile.

London's churches and chapels are extraordinarily numerous and diverse. Anglican and nonconformist churches and chapels are most numerous, but there are also many Catholic churches as well as places of worship for non-Christian religions.

Most of the Anglican churches lie within the Anglican dioceses of London to the north and Southwark to the south. For historical reasons, the Anglican churches in London north of the Thames but east of the River Lea fall within the Diocese of Chelmsford, and those in the London Boroughs of Bexley and Bromley fall within the Diocese of Rochester. A few Anglican churches in the Barnet area fall into the Diocese of St Albans, reflecting the historical association of Barnet with Hertfordshire. The Catholic dioceses that cover Greater London are, north of the Thames and west of the Lea, the Diocese of Westminster; south of the Thames the Archdiocese of Southwark; and north of the Thames and east of the Lea, the Diocese of Brentwood. There are still some two thousand Anglican churches alone, across the capital and if nonconformist and other denominations are included, they cover every age and style, in the design and evolution of which at least six hundred different architects have made contributions. As London expanded during the early 19th century, many new churches and chapels were built independently by the growing nonconformist urban population; to match the growth in nonconformist churches and chapels, the Anglican "Waterloo church" building programme saw numerous Anglican churches constructed across south London in the first half of the century.

Significance

Although many churches and chapels were entirely or partly lost to 19th-century demolitions and to bombing in the Second World War, many historic, architecturally significant and religiously significant buildings remain, particularly in the City of London and the neighbouring City of Westminster. A number of the churches are mentioned in the nursery rhyme Oranges and Lemons. Churches in this list belong to various denominations, as indicated.

List of churches

The City of London is not a London borough but, while being a ceremonial county in its own right, is within Greater London. In 1666 there were 96 parishes within the bounds of the City. Today the following continue Christian witness in one form or another in the heart of London. A map can be found here:[6] The area has 46 churches for just 9,400 inhabitants; the ratio of one church to every 204 people is the highest in England, but the statistic disguises the fact that the vast majority of attendees at City churches live outside the area.

Medieval parish churches in the City

This map shows the medieval churches in the City of London.

Medieval parish churches in the City of London

Churches holding regular service
All Hallows-by-the-Tower
Church nameLocation Dedication Web FoundedDenominationNotes
All Hallows-by-the-TowerTower Hill All Saints [7] 675AnglicanRebuilt C15th but contains C7th arched doorway
All Hallows-on-the-Wall London Wall All Saints C12th Rebuilt 1767. Guild church
St Andrew-by-the-WardrobeBlackfriars Andrew [8] C12thRebuilt 1695, 1961 (after Blitz)
St Andrew, HolbornHolborn Andrew [9] C10thRebuilt C15th, c. 1680, 1961 (after Blitz). Weekday services serving workers
St Bartholomew-the-GreatWest Smithfield Bartholomew [10] C12thfounded as an Augustinian Priory. Rebuilt C19th. United with St Bart-the-Less
St Bartholomew-the-LessSt Bart's Hospital Bartholomew C12thParish church C16th. Chapel of ease to St Bart-the-Great since 2015
St Benet, Paul's WharfQueenhithe Benedict of Nursia [11] C12thRebuilt 1683. Granted to Welsh-speaking Anglicans 1879
St Botolph, AldgateAldgate Botwulf of Thorney [12] C11thRebuilt C16th, 1741–1744. Restored 1966 (after Blitz)
St Botolph-without-BishopsgateBishopsgate Botwulf of Thorney [13] C13thRebuilt 1724–1729. Weekday services serving workers
St Bride, Fleet StreetFleet Street Brigid of Kildare [14] C7th–10th?Rebuilt C15th, 1675, 1957 (after Blitz)
St Dunstan-in-the-WestFarringdon W'out Dunstan [15] C11thRebuilt 1831–1833. Also used by Rom. Orthodox. Tuesday services
St Giles-without-CripplegateBarbican Giles [16] C11thRebuilt 1394
St Helen, BishopsgateBishopsgate Helena [17] C12thInitially part of a Benedictine nunnery. Conservative evangelical
St James GarlickhytheVintry Ward James [18] C12thRebuilt 1676–1683. Bishop of Fulham
St Katharine CreeAldgate Catherine [19] 1280Rebuilt 1628–1630. United with St Olave Hart Street
St Lawrence JewryGuildhall Lawrence [20] C12thRebuilt 1670–1687. Guild church
St Magnus-the-MartyrLondon Bridge Magnus Erlendsson [21] C11thRebuilt 1671–1687. Bishop of Fulham
St Margaret LothburyBank Margaret the Virgin [22] C12thRebuilt 1686–1690. United with St Mary Woolnoth
St Margaret PattensMonument Margaret the Virgin [23] C11thRebuilt 1687. Guild church
St Martin within LudgateLudgate Hill Martin of Tours [24] C12thRebuilt 1677–1684. Guild church; Thursday lunchtime services
St Mary AbchurchCannon Street Mary C12thRebuilt 1681–1686. Guild church
St Mary AldermaryMansion House Mary [25] C11thRebuilt 1681. Guild church; may not hold regular services
St Mary-at-HillBillingsgate Mary [26] C12thRebuilt 1676
St Mary-le-BowCheapside Mary [27] C11thRebuilt 1671–1673. Weekday services
St Mary WoolnothBank Mary [22] C12thRebuilt 1716–1727. United with St Margaret Lothbury
St Michael, CornhilllCornhill Michael [28] C12thRebuilt 1672
St Nicholas Cole AbbeyMansion House Nicholas [29] C12thRebuilt 1672–1678. Damaged 1941, restored 1962. Services restarted 2016
St Olave Hart StreetTower Ward Olaf II of Norway [19] C13thRebuilt c. 1450. Restored 1954. United with St Katharine Cree[19]
St Paul's CathedralSt Paul's Paul [30] C7thRebuilt 962, 1087–1240 (Old St Paul's), 1669–1697
St Sepulchre-without-NewgateHolborn Holy Sepulchre [31] SaxonNational Musicians' Church. Rebuilt C15th, 1670. Recent HTB church plant
St Stephen WalbrookMansion House Stephen [32] MedievalMoved to current site 1439, rebuilt 1672–1679. Thursday services
St Vedast-alias-FosterSt Paul's Vedast [33] C13thRestored 1695–1701, 1962
Temple ChurchInner Temple [34] C12thOriginally Templar; owned by Inner Temple and Middle Temple. Round church
St Mary MoorfieldsMoorfields Mary [35] 1820Roman CatholicPro-cathedral of London 1820–1869. Rebuilt 1903
St Botolph's Orthodox Church Bishopsgate Botwulf of Thorney [36] Antioch Orthodox Meets in St Botolph-without-Bishopsgate
London Romanian Orthodox Ch.Fleet Street George [37] 1833Romanian OrthodoxMeets in St Dunstan-in-the-West
St Thomas J. S. O. ChurchMansion House Thomas [38] 1989Jacobite Syr OrthMeets in St Mary Aldermary
St Gregorios Blackfriars Indian Orthodox Meets in St Andrew-by-the-Wardrobe
St Anne's Lutheran Church Billingsgate Anne [39] ? Lutheran Church Meets in St Mary-at-Hill
London City Presbyt. ChurchAldersgate [40] 1949Free Church of ScotlandMeets in St Botolph without Aldersgate (see below)
Jewin Welsh Presbyterian Chapel Barbican [41] 1774 Welsh Presbyterian New buildings 1785, 1823, 1879. Rebuilt 1960
City TempleHolborn Viaduct [42] 1640URCFirst building on present site 1874. Rebuilt 1958 (after Blitz)
Dutch Church, Austin FriarsBroad Street [43] 1550Protestant Church in the NetherlandsBuilding C13th Augustinian priory. Stranger church. Rebuilt 1950–1954 (after Blitz)
London Intl Church of Christ Westminster [44] Intl Church of Christ Central congregation meets in City Temple, Holborn Viaduct
City Gates ChurchLondon Wall [45] 1985IndependentWas in Ichthus. Meets in All Hallows-on-the-Wall (see below)
Christ Church London Blackfriars Jesus [46] Independent Meets in the Mermaid Theatre

Churches demolished or no longer holding regular service

See also: List of demolished churches in the City of London, List of churches destroyed in the Great Fire of London and not rebuilt

Tower of St Mary Somerset
Church name Dedication Founded EndedDenominationNotes
St Augustine Papey Augustine of Canterbury Medieval 1442
Hospital of St Thomas of Acre Thomas Becket 1227 1538 HQ of Knights of Saint Thomas
St Audoen within Newgate Audoin Medieval 1547 Church of England Demolished 1583
St Nicholas Shambles Nicholas C12th 1547 Anglican Demolished
Chapel of St Thomas on the Bridge Thomas Becket c. 1200 1548 On London Bridge. Rebuilt 1212, 1384–1397. Demolished
St Mary Axe Mary C12th 1562 Demolished 1565
All Hallows Honey Lane All Saints C12th 1666
All-Hallows-the-Less All Saints C13th 1666
Holy Trinity the Less Trinity C13th 1666 Rebuilt 1606
St Andrew Hubbard Andrew Medieval 1666
St Ann Blackfriars Anne 1550 1666 Rebuilt 1597. Built on site of old Dominican monastery
SS Benet & Osyth, Sherehog Benedict & Osgyth C11th 1666
St Botolph Billingsgate Botwulf of Thorney Medieval 1666
St Faith under St Paul's Faith Medieval 1666 Building demolished 1256; worshippers used west crypt under St Paul’s Quire
St Gabriel Fenchurch Gabriel C12th 1666
St Gregory by St Paul's Pope Gregory I C10th 1666
St John the Baptist upon Walbrook John the Baptist Medieval 1666
St John the Evangelist Friday Street John the Evangelist Medieval 1666
St John Zachary John the Baptist Medieval 1666
St Laurence Pountney Lawrence C13th 1666
St Leonard, Eastcheap Leonard of Noblac C11th 1666 Rebuilt 1618
St Leonard, Foster Lane Leonard of Noblac C13th 1666
St Margaret Moses Margaret the Virgin Medieval 1666
St Margaret, New Fish Street Margaret the Virgin C10th 1666
St Martin Orgar Martin of Tours Medieval 1666 Remains used by French Protestants until 1820. Tower survives (though rebuilt) as part of St Clement's
St Martin Pomary Martin of Tours Medieval 1666
St Martin Vintry Martin of Tours Medieval 1666 Rebuilt 1306
St Mary Bothaw Mary C10th 1666
St Mary Colechurch Mary Medieval 1666
St Mary Mounthaw Mary Medieval 1666
St Mary Staining Mary Medieval 1666
St Mary Woolchurch Haw Mary C11th 1666
St Michael-le-Querne Michael C12th 1666
St Mary Magdalen, Milk Street Mary Magdalene C12th 1666
St Nicholas Acons Nicholas C11th 1666
St Nicholas Olave Nicholas Medieval 1666
St Olave Silver Street Olaf II of Norway C12th 1666 Rebuilt 1609
St Pancras, Soper Lane Pancras of Rome Medieval 1666
St Peter, Paul's Wharf Peter C12th 1666
St Peter, Westcheap Peter C12th 1666
St Thomas the Apostle, London Thomas C12th 1666
St Christopher le Stocks Christopher C13th 1781 Rebuilt 1672. Demolished
St Michael, Crooked Lane Michael C13th 1831 Rebuilt 1336, 1687. Demolished
St Bartholomew-by-the-Exchange Bartholomew C13th 1840 Rebuilt 1675–1683. Demolished
St Benet Fink Benedict of Nursia C10th 1841 Rebuilt 1670–1675. Demolished 1842–1846
St Mary Somerset Mary C12th 1867 Rebuilt 1686–1694. Demolished 1871; tower remains
St Benet Gracechurch Benedict of Nursia C11th 1868 Rebuilt 1681–1687. Demolished
All Hallows Staining All Saints C12th 1870 Rebuilt 1674. Demolished 1870 apart from tower
St Mildred, Poultry Mildrith C12th 1871 Rebuilt 1456, 1676. Demolished 1872
St James Duke's Place James 1622 1874 Rebuilt 1727. Demolished
St Martin Outwich Martin of Tours C14th 1874 Rebuilt 1796–1798. Demolished
St Antholin, Budge Row Anthony the Great C12th 1875 Rebuilt 1513, 1678–1684. Demolished
St Michael Queenhithe Michael C12th 1875 Rebuilt 1676–1686. Demolished 1876
All Hallows, Bread Street All Saints C13th 1878 Rebuilt 1681–1684. Demolished
St Dionis Backchurch Dionysus the Areopagite C13th 1878 Rebuilt 1674. Demolished
St Matthew Friday Street Matthew C13th 1885 Rebuilt 1682–1685. Demolished
St Mary Magdalen Old Fish Street Mary Magdalene C12th 1886 Rebuilt 1683–1687. Demolished 1893
St Olave Old Jewry Olaf II of Norway C9th-C11th 1887 Rebuilt 1671–1679. Demolished 1887; tower remains
St George Botolph Lane George C12th 1890 Rebuilt 1671–1676. Demolished 1904
St Michael Bassishaw Michael C12th 1892 Rebuilt 1675–1679. Demolished 1900
All-Hallows-the-Great All Saints C12th 1894 Rebuilt 1677–1684. Demolished
St Michael Wood Street Michael C13th 1897 Rebuilt 1673. Demolished
Holy Trinity Gough Square Trinity 1837 1906 Demolished
St Peter le Poer Peter C12th 1907 Rebuilt 1792. Demolished
St Alphage London Wall Ælfheah of Canterbury C12th 1918 Moved buildings C16th. Rebuilt 1774–1777. Mostly demolished 1923, now ruins only
St Katherine Coleman Catherine of Alexandria Medieval 1926 Rebuilt 1741. Demolished
All Hallows Lombard Street All Saints C11th 1937 Rebuilt 1694. Demolished
St Mary Aldermanbury Mary C12th 1940 Damaged in Blitz. Stones rebuilt in Westminster College, Missouri 1966
Christ Church Greyfriars Jesus C13th 1940 Rebuilt 1306–1326. Was part of Franciscan monastery. Rebuilt 1687. Destroyed, apart from tower, 1940
St Alban, Wood Street Alban C10th 1940 Rebuilt 1634, 1685. Partially destroyed in Blitz; tower remains
St Stephen Coleman Street Stephen C13th 1940 Rebuilt 1677, destroyed by bombing 1940
St Swithin, London Stone Swithun C13th 1940 Rebuilt 1420, 1678, damaged by bombing 1940 and demolished 1962
St Augustine Watling Street Augustine of Canterbury C12th 1941 Rebuilt 1683, destroyed in Blitz
St Dunstan-in-the-East Dunstan C11th 1941 Rebuilt 1817–1821. Damaged in Blitz; walls and tower remain
St Michael Paternoster Royal Michael C13th 1941 Rebuilt 1685–1694, 1966–1968 (after Blitz). Now HQ of Mission to Seafarers. Guild church
St Mildred, Bread Street Mildrith C13th 1941 Rebuilt 1677–1683, destroyed by bombing 1941
St Andrew Undershaft Andrew C12th ? Rebuilt C14th, 1532. Now part of St Helen's Bishopsgate benefice
St Anne and St Agnes Anne & Agnes C12th ? Rebuilt 1548, 1680, 1966. Used by Lutheran Church 1966–2013. Now the Gresham Centre
St Botolph, Aldersgate Botwulf C13th ? Founded as Cluniac Priory. Rebuilt 1788–1791. Holds weekday Bible talks, run by St Helen's[47]
St Edmund, King and Martyr Edmund the Martyr C13th ? Rebuilt 1670–1679. Disused, once base for London Centre for Spirituality, now a hospitality centre
St Ethelburga, Bishopsgate Æthelburh of Barking C13th ? Rebuilt 1411, 1993 (following bombing). Now Centre for Reconciliation and Peace
St Peter upon Cornhill Peter Ancient ? Now part of St Helen's and used for Bible studies and youth clubs
St Clement, Eastcheap Pope Clement I C11th 2012 Rebuilt 1680s. Incorporates old tower of St Martin Orgar. Recently gutted to be turned into office space[48]

External links/sources

Notes and references
  1. Porter, Roy (1994) London: A Social History, Cambridge: Harvard. pp.87–88
  2. Cooper, Michael (2003) A More Beautiful City: Robert Hooke and the Rebuilding of London after the Great Fire. Sutton Publishing Ltd. ISBN 0-7509-2959-6
  3. Hart, Vaughan, Nicholas Hawksmoor: Rebuilding Ancient Wonders. Yale University Press, 2002. ISBN 0-300-09699-2
  4. Davidson Cragoe, Carol (4 February 2005). "Towards the Floodgates of Religious Reform". History Trails: Church and State. BBC History. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
  5. "For my own part I view the work of Sir Christopher Wren as a beacon which never fails to inspire. And there is no finer monument of his genius than the character he gave to London," Sir Edwin Lutyens. From London City Churches
  6. "LONDON city churches". simonknott.co.uk. Retrieved 2017-10-06.
  7. "All Hallows by the Tower". allhallowsbythetower.org.uk. Retrieved 2017-09-29.
  8. "http://www.standrewbythewardrobe.net/". standrewbythewardrobe.net. Retrieved 2017-09-29. External link in |title= (help)
  9. "St. Andrew". standrewholborn.org.uk. Retrieved 2017-09-29.
  10. "Saint Bartholomew the Great, West Smithfield". greatstbarts.com. Retrieved 2017-09-29.
  11. "Croeso i Eglwys Bened Sant . Welcome to the Church of St Benet". stbenetwelshchurch.org.uk. Retrieved 2017-10-07.
  12. Alys. "St Botolph without Aldgate". stbotolphs.org.uk. Retrieved 2017-09-29.
  13. "Parish & Ward Church of St. Botolph without Bishopsgate". botolph.org.uk. Retrieved 2017-09-29.
  14. "St Bride's Church, Fleet Street: spiritual home of the media". stbrides.com. Retrieved 2017-09-29.
  15. "St Dunstan in the West". stdunstaninthewest.org. Retrieved 2017-10-03.
  16. "St Giles' Cripplegate". stgilescripplegate.com. Retrieved 2017-10-03.
  17. "St Helen's Bishopsgate – Church in London". st-helens.org.uk. Retrieved 2017-10-03.
  18. "Welcome to St. James Garlickhythe | Church of St. James Garlickhythe". stjamesgarlickhythe.org. Retrieved 2017-10-03.
  19. "Sanctuary in the City". sanctuaryinthecity.net. Retrieved 2017-10-03.
  20. "St Lawrence". stlawrencejewry.org.uk. Retrieved 2017-10-03.
  21. "Welcome to the Parish Church of St Magnus the Martyr | St Magnus the Martyr, London Bridge". stmagnusmartyr.org.uk. Retrieved 2017-10-03.
  22. "St Margaret Lothbury & St Mary Woolnoth | Church of England Parish Churches at the Heart of the City of London". stml.org.uk. Retrieved 2017-10-03.
  23. Limited, Kinetic Internet. "The Guild Church of St. Margaret Pattens in The City of London". stmargaretpattens.org. Retrieved 2017-10-03.
  24. "The Guild Church of St Martin within Ludgate". stmartin-within-ludgate.org.uk. Retrieved 2017-10-03.
  25. "Home". St Mary Aldermary. Retrieved 2017-10-03.
  26. "St Mary-at-Hill – Welcome". stmary-at-hill.org. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
  27. "St Mary-le-Bow". stmarylebow.co.uk. Retrieved 2017-10-03.
  28. "St Michael's Cornhill -homepage". st-michaels.org.uk. Retrieved 2017-10-03.
  29. "St Nick's Church". St Nick's Church. Retrieved 2017-10-03.
  30. "Home – St Paul's Cathedral". stpauls.co.uk. Retrieved 2017-10-03.
  31. "St. Sepulchres". St Sepulchres. Retrieved 2017-10-03.
  32. "St Stephen Walbrook – a place of celebration". ststephenwalbrook.net. Retrieved 2017-10-03.
  33. "St Vedast-alias-Foster | A vibrant church in the City of London". vedast.org.uk. Retrieved 2017-10-03.
  34. "http://www.templechurch.com/". templechurch.com. Retrieved 2017-10-03. External link in |title= (help)
  35. "St Mary Moorfields Roman Catholic Church, City of London | St Mary Moorfields". stmarymoorfields.net. Retrieved 2017-10-03.
  36. "Saint Botolph's Orthodox Church". Saint Botolph's Orthodox Church. Retrieved 2017-10-03.
  37. "Știri". sfgheorghelondra.org.uk. Retrieved 2017-10-06.
  38. "ST.THOMAS JACOBITE SYRIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH LONDON | "The good shepherd gives his life for the sheep" (John 10:11)". stthomasjsoclondon.org. Retrieved 2017-10-03.
  39. "http://www.stanneslutheranchurch.org.uk/". stanneslutheranchurch.org.uk. Retrieved 2017-09-29. External link in |title= (help)
  40. "London City Presbyterian Church". londonfreechurch.org.uk. Retrieved 2017-09-29.
  41. "capeljewin". capeljewin. Retrieved 2017-10-06.
  42. LTD., bOnline. "City Temple | in London". city-temple.com. Retrieved 2017-09-29.
  43. "Nederlandse Kerk | Dutch Church in London". dutchchurch.org.uk (in Dutch). Retrieved 2017-09-29.
  44. "London International Church of Christ (ICOC)". thelondonchurch.org. Retrieved 2017-10-05.
  45. "City Gates Church – London". citygateschurch.net. Retrieved 2017-09-29.
  46. "11.00 – Central Service | ChristChurch London". christchurchlondon.org. Retrieved 2017-10-06.
  47. "St Botolphs Aldersgate – St Botolphs Aldersgate". stbotolphsaldersgate.org.uk. Retrieved 2017-09-29.
  48. "LONDON city churches". simonknott.co.uk. Retrieved 2017-10-06.
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