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.

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

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.

Church name	Location	Dedication	Founded	Denomination	Notes
All Hallows-by-the-Tower or All Hallows Barking	Tower Hill	All Saints	675	Anglican	Rebuilt C15th but contains C7th arched doorway
All Hallows-on-the-Wall	London Wall	All Saints	C12th		Rebuilt 1767. Guild church
St Andrew-by-the-Wardrobe	Blackfriars	Andrew	C12th		Rebuilt 1695, 1961 (after Blitz)
St Andrew, Holborn	Holborn	Andrew	C10th		Rebuilt C15th, c. 1680, 1961 (after Blitz). Weekday services serving workers
St Bartholomew-the-Great	West Smithfield	Bartholomew	C12th		founded as an Augustinian Priory. Rebuilt C19th. United with St Bart-the-Less
St Bartholomew-the-Less	St Bart's Hospital	Bartholomew	C12th		Parish church C16th. Chapel of ease to St Bart-the-Great since 2015
St Benet, Paul's Wharf	Queenhithe	Benedict of Nursia	C12th		Rebuilt 1683. Granted to Welsh-speaking Anglicans 1879
St Botolph, Aldersgate	Botwulf	Botwulf of Thorney	C13th		Founded as Cluniac Priory. Rebuilt 1788–1791. Holds weekday Bible talks, run by St Helen's^[7]
St Botolph, Aldgate	Aldgate	Botwulf of Thorney	C11th		Rebuilt C16th, 1741–1744. Restored 1966 (after Blitz)
St Botolph-without-Bishopsgate	Bishopsgate	Botwulf of Thorney	C13th		Rebuilt 1724–1729. Weekday services serving workers
St Bride, Fleet Street	Fleet Street	Brigid	C7th–10th?		Rebuilt C15th, 1675, 1957 (after Blitz)
St Dunstan-in-the-West	Farringdon W'out	Dunstan	C11th		Rebuilt 1831–1833. Also used by Rom. Orthodox. Tuesday services
St Giles-without-Cripplegate	Barbican	Giles	C11th		Rebuilt 1394
St Helen, Bishopsgate	Bishopsgate	Helena	C12th		Initially part of a Benedictine nunnery. Conservative evangelical
St James Garlickhythe	Vintry Ward	James	C12th		Rebuilt 1676–1683. Bishop of Fulham
St Katharine Cree	Aldgate	Catherine of Alexandria	1280		Rebuilt 1628–1630. United with St Olave Hart Street
St Lawrence Jewry	Guildhall	Lawrence	C12th		Rebuilt 1670–1687. Guild church
St Magnus-the-Martyr	London Bridge	Magnus Erlendsson	C11th		Rebuilt 1671–1687. Bishop of Fulham
St Margaret Lothbury	Bank	Margaret the Virgin	C12th		Rebuilt 1686–1690. United with St Mary Woolnoth
St Margaret Pattens	Monument	Margaret the Virgin	C11th		Rebuilt 1687. Guild church
St Martin within Ludgate	Ludgate Hill	Martin of Tours	C12th		Rebuilt 1677–1684. Guild church; Thursday lunchtime services
St Mary Abchurch	Cannon Street	Mary	C12th		Rebuilt 1681–1686. Guild church
St Mary Aldermary	Mansion House	Mary	C11th		Rebuilt 1681. Guild church; may not hold regular services
St Mary-at-Hill	Billingsgate	Mary	C12th		Rebuilt 1676
St Mary-le-Bow	Cheapside	Mary	C11th		Rebuilt 1671–1673. Weekday services
St Mary Woolnoth	Bank	Mary	C12th		Rebuilt 1716–1727. United with St Margaret Lothbury
St Michael, Cornhill	Cornhill	Michael	C12th		Rebuilt 1672
St Nicholas Cole Abbey	Mansion House	Nicholas	C12th		Rebuilt 1672–1678. Damaged 1941, restored 1962. Services restarted 2016
St Olave Hart Street	Tower Ward	Olaf II of Norway	C13th		Rebuilt c. 1450. Restored 1954. United with St Katharine Cree^[8]
St Paul's Cathedral	St Paul's	Paul	C7th		Rebuilt 962, 1087–1240 (Old St Paul's), 1669–1697
St Sepulchre-without-Newgate	Holborn	Holy Sepulchre	Saxon		National Musicians' Church. Rebuilt C15th, 1670. Recent HTB church plant
St Stephen Walbrook	Mansion House	Stephen	Medieval		Moved to current site 1439, rebuilt 1672–1679. Thursday services
St Vedast-alias-Foster	St Paul's	Vedast	C13th		Restored 1695–1701, 1962
Temple Church	Inner Temple		C12th		Originally Templar; owned by Inner Temple and Middle Temple. Round church
St Mary Moorfields	Moorfields	Mary	1820	Roman Catholic	Pro-cathedral of London 1820–1869. Rebuilt 1903
St Botolph's Orthodox Church	Bishopsgate	Botwulf of Thorney		Antioch Orthodox	Meets in St Botolph-without-Bishopsgate
London Romanian Orthodox Ch.	Fleet Street	George	1833	Romanian Orthodox	Meets in St Dunstan-in-the-West
St Thomas J. S. O. Church	Mansion House	Thomas	1989	Jacobite Syr Orth	Meets in St Mary Aldermary
St Gregorios	Blackfriars	Geevarghese Gregorios of Parumala		Malankara Orthodox Syrian	Meets in St Andrew-by-the-Wardrobe
St Anne's Lutheran Church	Billingsgate	Anne	?	Lutheran Church	Meets in St Mary-at-Hill

Church name	Dedication	Founded	Ended	Denomination	Notes
St Augustine Papey	Augustine of Canterbury	Medieval	1442
St Nicholas Bread Street
St Olave Bread Street
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

History

Wren and Anglican churches

Metropolitan area

Significance

List of churches

Medieval parish churches in the City

Churches holding regular service

Churches demolished or no longer holding regular service

Related lists

Notes and references

External links