Sir Christopher Wren was 33 years old and near the beginning of his career as an architect when the Great Fire of London in 1666 destroyed many of the city's public buildings, including 88 of its parish churches. Wren's office was commissioned to build 51 replacement churches and St Paul's Cathedral. Many of these buildings survive to this day; others have been substantially altered or rebuilt. Some others were completely or partially destroyed during the German Blitz of 1940–41; others were demolished for different reasons.

Churches in the City of London Many of Wren's churches were demolished as the population of the City of London declined in the 19th century and more were destroyed or damaged during the Blitz.

Survived in original form Image Name Location Date Listing Coordinates St Benet Paul's Wharf Queen Victoria Street, Queenhithe, City of London 1677–83 Grade I (1950) St Clement Eastcheap Clement's Lane, Candlewick, City of London 1683–87 Grade I (1950) St Edmund, King and Martyr Lombard Street, Langbourn, City of London 1670–79 Grade I (1950) St James Garlickhythe Garlick Hill, Vintry, City of London 1676–83 Grade I (1950) St Margaret Lothbury Lothbury, Coleman Street Ward and Broad Street Ward, City of London 1686–90 Grade I (1950) St Margaret Pattens Eastcheap, Billingsgate, City of London 1684–87 Grade I (1950) St Martin, Ludgate Ludgate Hill, Farringdon Within, City of London 1677–84 Grade I (1950) St Mary Abchurch Abchurch Lane, Candlewick, City of London 1681–86 Grade I (1950) St Mary Aldermary Queen Victoria Street, Cordwainer, City of London 1679–82 Grade I (1950) St Michael's Cornhill Cornhill, Cornhill, City of London 1669–72 Grade I (1950) St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Churchyard, Castle Baynard, City of London 1675-1711 Grade I (1950) St Peter upon Cornhill Cornhill, Cornhill, City of London 1677–84 Grade I (1950) St Stephen Walbrook Walbrook, Walbrook, City of London 1672–79 Grade I (1950)

Substantially altered before the Blitz Image Name Location Date Listing Comment Coordinates St Magnus-the-Martyr Lower Thames Street, Bridge, City of London 1671–87 Grade I (1950) altered after London Bridge was widened in 1762 St Mary-at-Hill Lovat Lane, Billingsgate, City of London 1670–76 Grade I (1950) altered in 1787–88 and 1826–27

Substantially rebuilt after the Blitz The Blitz in 1940–1941 damaged nearly all the churches in the City of London and many were nearly destroyed leaving just the outer walls and tower. However most of them were rebuilt to Wren's original design. Image Name Location Date Listing Comment Coordinates St Andrew-by-the-Wardrobe Queen Victoria Street, Castle Baynard, City of London 1685–95 Grade I (1950) rededicated in 1961 St Andrew, Holborn Holborn Viaduct, Farringdon Without, City of London 1686–87 Grade I (1950) re-opened in 1961 St Anne and St Agnes Gresham Street, Aldersgate, City of London 1676–87 Grade I (1950) rededicated in 1966 St Bride's Church Fleet Street, Castle Baynard, City of London 1670–84 Grade I (1950) rededicated in 1957 St Lawrence Jewry Gresham Street, Cheap, City of London 1670–86 Grade I (1950) restored in 1957 St Mary-le-Bow Cheapside, Cordwainer, City of London 1670–83 Grade I (1950) reconsecrated in 1964 St Michael Paternoster Royal College Hill, Dowgate, City of London 1686–94 Grade I (1950) restored in 1966–8 St Nicholas Cole Abbey Queen Victoria Street, Bread Street Ward, City of London 1671–81 Grade I (1950) reconsecrated in 1962 St Vedast Foster Lane Foster Lane, Cheap, City of London 1670–97 Grade I (1950) restored by 1962

Tower remaining These churches were destroyed in the Blitz or demolished in the 19th century. Only their towers remained with perhaps a short section of the outer wall. They are no longer working churches.

Image Name Location Date Listing Comment Coordinates St Mary Somerset Upper Thames Street, Queenhithe, City of London 1686–94 Grade I (1950) Body of the church demolished in 1871. Tower surrounded by small garden St Olave Old Jewry Ironmonger Lane, Walbrook, City of London 1670–79 Grade I (1950) Body of the church was demolished in 1887. Tower is part of an office building. Christ Church Greyfriars Newgate Street, Farringdon Within, City of London 1677–91 Grade I (1950) Destroyed in the Blitz. The ruins are a public garden, the tower is private residence St Alban's, Wood Street Wood Street, Bassishaw, City of London 1682–87 Grade II (1950) Destroyed in the Blitz. The tower is private dwelling St Augustine Watling Street Watling Street, Bread Street Ward, City of London 1680–87 Grade I (1950) Destroyed in the Blitz. Tower part of St Paul's Cathedral Choir School St Dunstan-in-the-East St Dunstan's Hill, Billingsgate, City of London 1698 Grade I (1950) Rebuilt in 1817–21, but destroyed in the Blitz. Ruins are a public garden

Stones re-used Image Name Location Date Listing Comment Coordinates All Hallows Lombard Street Lombard Street, Langbourn, City of London 1686–94 never listed Demolished in 1939, with the tower and interior fittings moved to All Hallows Twickenham St Mary Aldermanbury Aldermanbury, Bassishaw, City of London 1670–74 Grade II (1972) Ruined in 1940, and the stones transported to Fulton, Missouri in 1964. Rebuilt as a memorial to Sir Winston Churchill

Demolished due to the Union of Benefices Act (chronological order) The population of the City of London declined sharply in the 19th century, and the Union of Benefices Act 1860 reduced the number of parish churches. The surplus churches were demolished.

Image Name Location Date Comment Coordinates St Benet Gracechurch Gracechurch Street, Bridge, City of London 1681–87 demolished in 1868 St Mildred, Poultry Poultry, Walbrook, City of London 1670–77 demolished in 1872 St Antholin, Budge Row Watling Street, Cordwainer, City of London 1678–84 demolished in 1875 St Michael Queenhithe Upper Thames Street, Queenhithe, City of London 1676–86 demolished in 1876 All Hallows Bread Street Bread Street, Cordwainer, City of London 1681–98 demolished in 1878 St Dionis Backchurch Fenchurch Street, Langbourn, City of London 1670–77 demolished in 1878 St Matthew Friday Street Friday Street, Bread Street Ward, City of London 1682–85 demolished in 1885 St Mary Magdalen Old Fish Street Old Change, Bread Street, City of London 1683–87 demolished in 1893 All-Hallows-the-Great Upper Thames Street, Dowgate, City of London 1677–84 demolished in 1894 St Michael Wood Street Wood Street, Cripplegate, City of London 1670–75 demolished in 1897

Demolished for other reasons (chronological order) Image Name Location Date Demolition Reason Coordinates St Christopher le Stocks Threadneedle Street, Walbrook, City of London 1670–71 demolished in 1782 to provide space for the extension of the Bank of England St Michael, Crooked Lane Miles's Lane, Candlewick, City of London 1687 demolished in 1831 wider approaches were needed for the rebuilt London Bridge St Bartholomew-by-the-Exchange Bartholomew Lane, Walbrook, City of London 1675–83 demolished in 1840 to provide space for the widening of Threadneedle Street St Benet Fink Threadneedle Street, Cornhill, City of London 1670–75 demolished between 1841 and 1846 to improve the site of the Royal Exchange St Michael Bassishaw Basinghall Street, Bassishaw, City of London 1675–79 demolished in 1900 judged structurally unsafe in 1892 St George Botolph Lane Botolph Lane, Bridge, City of London 1671–76 demolished in 1904 judged structurally unsafe and closed 1901

Destroyed in the Blitz These churches were destroyed in the Blitz and their ruins demolished afterwards.

Image Name Location Date Demolition Coordinates St Stephen Coleman Street Coleman Street, Coleman Street Ward, City of London 1677 1940 St Mildred, Bread Street Bread Street, Vintry, City of London 1677–83 1941 St Swithin, London Stone Cannon Street, Walbrook, City of London 1678 1962

Interior refurbished by Christopher Wren Image Name Location Date Listing Comment Coordinates Temple Church Fleet Street, Farringdon Without, City of London 1682–83 Grade I (1950) During the restoration after the Blitz Wren's wooden altar was discovered in a museum and was restored to its original position

Churches built outside the City of London These churches were outside the area of the Great Fire of London.

Image Name Location Date Listing Comment Coordinates St Anne's Church, Soho Dean Street, Soho, City of Westminster 1677–85 Grade II (1958) The body of the church by Wren and William Talman was destroyed in the Blitz and later totally demolished; the preserved tower was built by S. P. Cockerell in 1801–03 St Clement Danes Strand, City of Westminster 1680–82 Grade I (1958) Destroyed in 1941; reconsecrated in 1958 after the Blitz. St James's Church, Piccadilly Piccadilly, St James's, City of Westminster 1676–84 Grade I (1958) Destroyed in 1940; restored in 1947–54 after the Blitz Chapel of the Royal Hospital Chelsea Royal Hospital Road, Chelsea, Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea 1682–87 Grade I (1969) Wren designed the rest of the hospital, as well.

See also List of demolished churches in the City of London

Bibliography

Godwin, George (1839), Churches of London, Vols.1–2, C. Tilt

External links

Friends of the City Churches Church Bells of the City of London City of London Churches by Mark McManus Churches in the City from the Diocese of London Where the existing Wren churches are in London from Google maps View interiors of Wren Churches in 360 degrees