List of churches in the City of London explained

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.

Medieval parish churches in the City

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

Churches holding regular service

Church name	Location	Dedication	Web	Founded	Denomination	Notes
	Tower Hill	All Saints	^[7]	675	Anglican	Rebuilt C15th but contains C7th arched doorway
All Hallows-on-the-Wall	London Wall	All Saints		C12th		Rebuilt 1767. Guild church
	Blackfriars	Andrew	^[8]	C12th		Rebuilt 1695, 1961 (after Blitz)
	Holborn	Andrew	^[9]	C10th		Rebuilt C15th, c. 1680, 1961 (after Blitz). Weekday services serving workers
	West Smithfield	Bartholomew	^[10]	C12th		founded as an Augustinian Priory. Rebuilt C19th. United with St Bart-the-Less
	St Bart's Hospital	Bartholomew		C12th		Parish church C16th. Chapel of ease to St Bart-the-Great since 2015
	Queenhithe	Benedict of Nursia	^[11]	C12th		Rebuilt 1683. Granted to Welsh-speaking Anglicans 1879
	Aldgate	Botwulf of Thorney	^[12]	C11th		Rebuilt C16th, 1741–1744. Restored 1966 (after Blitz)
	Bishopsgate	Botwulf of Thorney	^[13]	C13th		Rebuilt 1724–1729. Weekday services serving workers
	Fleet Street	Brigid	^[14]	C7th–10th?		Rebuilt C15th, 1675, 1957 (after Blitz)
	Farringdon W'out	Dunstan	^[15]	C11th		Rebuilt 1831–1833. Also used by Rom. Orthodox. Tuesday services
	Barbican	Giles	^[16]	C11th		Rebuilt 1394
	Bishopsgate	Helena	^[17]	C12th		Initially part of a Benedictine nunnery. Conservative evangelical
	Vintry Ward	James	^[18]	C12th		Rebuilt 1676–1683. Bishop of Fulham
	Aldgate	Catherine of Alexandria	^[19]	1280		Rebuilt 1628–1630. United with St Olave Hart Street
	Guildhall	Lawrence	^[20]	C12th		Rebuilt 1670–1687. Guild church
	London Bridge	Magnus Erlendsson	^[21]	C11th		Rebuilt 1671–1687. Bishop of Fulham
	Bank	Margaret the Virgin	^[22]	C12th		Rebuilt 1686–1690. United with St Mary Woolnoth
	Monument	Margaret the Virgin	^[23]	C11th		Rebuilt 1687. Guild church
	Ludgate Hill	Martin of Tours	^[24]	C12th		Rebuilt 1677–1684. Guild church; Thursday lunchtime services
	Cannon Street	Mary		C12th		Rebuilt 1681–1686. Guild church
	Mansion House	Mary	^[25]	C11th		Rebuilt 1681. Guild church; may not hold regular services
	Billingsgate	Mary	^[26]	C12th		Rebuilt 1676
	Cheapside	Mary	^[27]	C11th		Rebuilt 1671–1673. Weekday services
	Bank	Mary		C12th		Rebuilt 1716–1727. United with St Margaret Lothbury
	Cornhill	Michael	^[28]	C12th		Rebuilt 1672
	Mansion House	Nicholas	^[29]	C12th		Rebuilt 1672–1678. Damaged 1941, restored 1962. Services restarted 2016
	Tower Ward	Olaf II of Norway		C13th		Rebuilt c. 1450. Restored 1954. United with St Katharine Cree
	St Paul's	Paul	^[30]	C7th		Rebuilt 962, 1087–1240 (Old St Paul's), 1669–1697
	Holborn	Holy Sepulchre	^[31]	Saxon		National Musicians' Church. Rebuilt C15th, 1670. Recent HTB church plant
	Mansion House	Stephen	^[32]	Medieval		Moved to current site 1439, rebuilt 1672–1679. Thursday services
	St Paul's	Vedast	^[33]	C13th		Restored 1695–1701, 1962
	Inner Temple		^[34]	C12th		Originally Templar; owned by Inner Temple and Middle Temple. Round church
	Moorfields	Mary	^[35]	1820		Pro-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]	1833		Meets in St Dunstan-in-the-West
St Thomas J. S. O. Church	Mansion House	Thomas	^[38]	1989		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	^[39]	?	Lutheran Church	Meets in St Mary-at-Hill
London City Presbyt. Church	Aldersgate		^[40]	1949		Meets in St Botolph without Aldersgate (see below)
Jewin Welsh Presbyterian Chapel	Barbican		^[41]	1774	Welsh Presbyterian	New buildings 1785, 1823, 1879. Rebuilt 1960
	Holborn Viaduct		^[42]	1640		First building on present site 1874. Rebuilt 1958 (after Blitz)
	Broad Street		^[43]	1550		Building 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 Church	London Wall		^[45]	1985	Independent	Was 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

Church name	Dedication	Founded	Ended	Denomination	Notes
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 the Great	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]

Related lists

• List of churches in London
• List of Christopher Wren churches in London
• List of places of worship in London, 1804
• Union of Benefices Act 1860
• Commission for Building Fifty New Churches

External links

• Anglican Diocese of London
• Baptist Union Churches
• Church of England Parish Finder
• Church of England churches in central London
• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
• The History Files Churches of the British Isles
• Congregational Churches in London
• Friends of the City Churches
• Gospel Hall Finder
• Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great Britain
• Love's Guide to the Church Bells of the City of London
• Methodist Church of Great Britain Church Search
• Roman Catholic Diocese of Brentwood Parishes A-Z
• Roman Catholic Diocese of Westminster – Virtual Diocese
• Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Southwark – Parish Directory
• Seventh-day Adventist Churches in London
• United Reformed Church Find A Church
• Redeemed Christian Church of God

Notes and References

1. [Roy Porter|Porter, Roy]
2. Cooper, Michael (2003) A More Beautiful City: Robert Hooke and the Rebuilding of London after the Great Fire. Sutton Publishing Ltd.
3. [Vaughan Hart|Hart, Vaughan]
4. Web site: Davidson Cragoe. Carol. Towards the Floodgates of Religious Reform. History Trails: Church and State. BBC History. 4 February 2005. 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. Web site: LONDON city churches. simonknott.co.uk. 2017-10-06.
7. Web site: All Hallows by the Tower. allhallowsbythetower.org.uk. 2017-09-29.
8. Web site: http://www.standrewbythewardrobe.net/. standrewbythewardrobe.net. en. 2017-09-29.
9. Web site: St. Andrew. standrewholborn.org.uk. en. 2017-09-29.
10. Web site: Saint Bartholomew the Great, West Smithfield. greatstbarts.com. 2017-09-29.
11. Web site: Croeso i Eglwys Bened Sant . Welcome to the Church of St Benet. stbenetwelshchurch.org.uk. 2017-10-07.
12. Web site: St Botolph without Aldgate. Alys. stbotolphs.org.uk. en-GB. 2017-09-29.
13. Web site: Parish & Ward Church of St. Botolph without Bishopsgate. botolph.org.uk. 2017-09-29.
14. Web site: St Bride's Church, Fleet Street: spiritual home of the media. stbrides.com. 2017-09-29.
15. Web site: St Dunstan in the West. stdunstaninthewest.org. en-US. 2017-10-03.
16. Web site: St Giles' Cripplegate. stgilescripplegate.com. 2017-10-03.
17. Web site: St Helen's Bishopsgate – Church in London. st-helens.org.uk. en. 2017-10-03.
18. Web site: Welcome to St. James Garlickhythe Church of St. James Garlickhythe. stjamesgarlickhythe.org. 2017-10-03.
19. Web site: Sanctuary in the City. sanctuaryinthecity.net. en. 2017-10-03.
20. Web site: St Lawrence. stlawrencejewry.org.uk. 2017-10-03.
21. Web site: Welcome to the Parish Church of St Magnus the Martyr St Magnus the Martyr, London Bridge. stmagnusmartyr.org.uk. en. 2017-10-03.
22. Web site: St Margaret Lothbury & St Mary Woolnoth Church of England Parish Churches at the Heart of the City of London. stml.org.uk. en-GB. 2017-10-03.
23. Web site: The Guild Church of St. Margaret Pattens in The City of London. Limited. Kinetic Internet. stmargaretpattens.org. en. 2017-10-03.
24. Web site: The Guild Church of St Martin within Ludgate. stmartin-within-ludgate.org.uk. en-US. 2017-10-03.
25. Web site: Home. St Mary Aldermary. en. 2017-10-03.
26. Web site: St Mary-at-Hill – Welcome. stmary-at-hill.org. 19 December 2017.
27. Web site: St Mary-le-Bow. stmarylebow.co.uk. en. 2017-10-03.
28. Web site: St Michael's Cornhill -homepage. st-michaels.org.uk. 2017-10-03.
29. Web site: St Nick's Church. St Nick's Church. en-GB. 2017-10-03.
30. Web site: Home – St Paul's Cathedral. stpauls.co.uk. en. 2017-10-03.
31. Web site: St. Sepulchres. St Sepulchres. en-US. 2017-10-03.
32. Web site: St Stephen Walbrook – a place of celebration. ststephenwalbrook.net. en-US. 2017-10-03.
33. Web site: St Vedast-alias-Foster A vibrant church in the City of London. vedast.org.uk. en-US. 2017-10-03.
34. Web site: http://www.templechurch.com/. templechurch.com. en-US. 2017-10-03.
35. Web site: St Mary Moorfields Roman Catholic Church, City of London St Mary Moorfields. stmarymoorfields.net. 2017-10-03.
36. Web site: Saint Botolph's Orthodox Church. Saint Botolph's Orthodox Church. 2017-10-03.
37. Web site: Știri. sfgheorghelondra.org.uk. en-gb. 2017-10-06.
38. Web site: ST.THOMAS JACOBITE SYRIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH LONDON "The good shepherd gives his life for the sheep" (John 10:11). stthomasjsoclondon.org. en. 2017-10-03.
39. Web site: http://www.stanneslutheranchurch.org.uk/. stanneslutheranchurch.org.uk. en. 2017-09-29.
40. Web site: London City Presbyterian Church. londonfreechurch.org.uk. 2017-09-29.
41. Web site: capeljewin. capeljewin. 2017-10-06.
42. Web site: City Temple in London. LTD.. bOnline. city-temple.com. en. 2017-09-29.
43. Web site: Nederlandse Kerk Dutch Church in London. dutchchurch.org.uk. nl. 2017-09-29.
44. Web site: London International Church of Christ (ICOC). thelondonchurch.org. 2017-10-05.
45. Web site: City Gates Church – London. citygateschurch.net. en-GB. 2017-09-29.
46. Web site: 11.00 – Central Service ChristChurch London. christchurchlondon.org. en-GB. 2017-10-06.
47. Web site: St Botolphs Aldersgate – St Botolphs Aldersgate. stbotolphsaldersgate.org.uk. en-GB. 2017-09-29.
48. Web site: LONDON city churches. simonknott.co.uk. 2017-10-06.