Daily entries from the 17th century London diary
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Wikipedia
St Dunstan-in-the-East was a Church of England parish church on St Dunstan's Hill, half way between London Bridge and the Tower of London in the City of London. The church was largely destroyed in the Second World War[1] and the ruins are now a public garden.
[edit] History
The church was originally built in about 1100. A new south aisle was added in 1391 and the church was repaired in 1631 at a cost of more than £2,400.[2]
It was severely damaged in the Great Fire of London in 1666. Rather than being completely rebuilt, the damaged church was patched up between 1668 and 1671.[3] A steeple was added in 1695-1701 to the designs of Sir Christopher Wren. It was built in a gothic style sympathetic to main body of the church, though with heavy string courses of a kind not used in the Middle Ages. It has a needle spire carried on four flying butresses in the manner of that of St Nicholas in Newcastle.[4] The restored church had wooden carvings by Grinling Gibbons and an organ by Father Smith, which was transferred to the abbey at St Albans in 1818.
In 1817 it was found that the weight of the nave roof had thrust the walls seven inches out of the perpendicular. It was decided to rebuild the church from the level of the arches, but the state of the structure proved so bad that the whole building was taken down. It was rebuilt to a design in the perpendicular style by David Laing (then architect to the Board of Customs) with assistance from William Tite. The foundation stone was laid in November 1817 and the church re-opened for worship in January 1821. Built of Portland stone, with a plaster lierne nave vault, it was 115 feet long and 65 feet wide and could accommodate between six and seven hundred people. The cost of the work was £36,000. Wren's tower was retained in the new building.[4][5]
The church was severely damaged in the Blitz of 1941. Wren's tower and steeple survived the bombs intact. Of the rest of the church only the north and south walls remained. In the re-organisation of the Anglican Church in London following the War it was decided not to rebuild St Dunstan's, and in 1967 the City of London Corporation decided to turn the ruins of the church into a public garden, which opened in 1971. A lawn and trees were planted in the ruins, with a low fountain in the middle of the nave. The tower now houses the All Hallows House Foundation.
The parish is now combined with the Benefice of All Hallows by the Tower and occasional open-air services are held in the church, such as on Palm Sunday prior to a procession to All Hallows by the Tower along St Dunstan's Hill and Great Tower Street. The ruin was designated a Grade I listed building on 4 January 1950.[6]
[edit] See also
- Church of England
- List of Christopher Wren churches in London
- List of churches rebuilt after the Great Fire but since demolished
[edit] References
- ^ Tucker, T. (2006). The Visitors Guide to the City of London Churches. London: Friends of the City Churches. ISBN 0-9553945-0-3.
- ^ Murray, Thomas Boyles (1859). Chronicles of a City Church, an account of the parish church of St. Dunstan in the East. London: Smith, Elder & Son. p. 10. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=ZNkHAAAAQAAJ&printsec=frontcover. Retrieved 22 October 2011.
- ^ "The London Encyclopaedia" Hibbert,C; Weinreb,D; Keay,J: London, Pan Macmillan, 1983 (rev 1993,2008) ISBN 978-1-4050-4924-5
- ^ a b Bradley, Simon; Pevsner, Nikolaus. London:the City Churches. The Buildings of England. London: Penguin Books. p. 80. ISBN 0-14-071100-7.
- ^ Murray, Thomas Boyles (1859). Chronicles of a City Church, an account of the parish church of St. Dunstan in the East. London: Smith, Elder & Son. p. 43. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=ZNkHAAAAQAAJ&printsec=frontcover. Retrieved 22 October 2011.
- ^ Details from listed building database (199522) . Images of England. English Heritage. accessed 23 January 2009
[edit] External links
- Information on St Dunstan
- An engraving showing the medieval church and Sir Christopher Wren's spire.
- BBC "Hidden gardens of the City" Facts
- The All Hallows House Foundation "Wren Clinic" website
Coordinates: 51°30′34.82″N 0°4′57.80″W / 51.5096722°N 0.082722°W / 51.5096722; -0.082722
Annotations
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The church can be seen in the lower left of this 18th century map: http://www.motco.com/Map/81002/SeriesSearchPlatesFulla.asp?mode=query&title=Tower+Street+in+Sheet+E2+&artist=384&other=321&x=11&y=11
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St Dusftans, a nice little walk from the Office, thru the hemp yard [if it be there], down Mark Lane, up Tower Street, past Mincing lane,turn left down St Dunstan hill and into the church yard. Of course one could take the long way round, by going down Seething Lane, past all the Inns and All Hallows Church, then turn right, then trot up Tower street, past Beer lane, Trinity House, past Harp Lane then to the Church Yard.
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St Dunstans was rebuilt after the Great Fire by Wren, but WW2 saw it gutted by fire. After the war it was turned into one of the most beautiful corners of the City, with a small and perfectly formed garden. A Wren church with both a tower, and a spire.
In my study I have a print of SDitE showing this amazing arrangement. Four ‘flying butresses’ rise from each corner of the tower to meet in a most satisfying arrangement in a spire. Quite breathtaking.
Now just a few yards from Lower Thames Street, almost opposite the old Billingsgate (fish) Market, it is well worth visiting if you find yourself in the City. Stunning…
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As said above, you can easily see its spire from Tower Hill - it would have been only a 5-minute walk from Pepys’ office.
Burnt down in 1666, rebuilt by Wren, burnt down in 1941, now a very pleasantpublic garden for people to sit in and eat their lunch.
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Do have a look at this:
http://www.bluffton.edu/~sullivanm/england/london/wrendunstan/dunstan.html
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Quotes are paraphrased from the will of Richard Foote, merchant of Rood Lane, whose home parish is St. Dunstan’s-in-the-East at time of death. Bust of grandson welcomes visitors to the Windsor Parish Church, Berkshire UK. “To his grandson Topham Foote 200 Pounds, which his father Samuel Foote shall put in trade for him till his majority; also 1500 acres of his land in Virginia.
The rest of his estate to his wife Hester Foote, who is named joint executor with his son Samuel Foote.
Signed 19 March 1694. Witness James Stone, Richard Stracey, Ran. Stacey.
Probate London 23 April 1697 to Hester Foote, the other executor Samuel
Foote being dead.P.A.B. identifies testator with the parish of St. Dunstan in the East,
London … .”For much more get a start at http://www.chotank.com/getting.html