List of Christopher Wren churches in London explained

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
			1677–83	Grade I (1950)
			1683–87	Grade I (1950)
			1670–79	Grade I (1950)
			1676–83	Grade I (1950)
			1686–90	Grade I (1950)
			1684–87	Grade I (1950)
			1677–84	Grade I (1950)
			1681–86	Grade I (1950)
			1679–82	Grade I (1950)
			1669–72	Grade I (1950)
			1675-1711	Grade I (1950)
			1677–84	Grade I (1950)
			1672–79	Grade I (1950)

Substantially altered before the Blitz

Image	Name	Location	Date	Listing	Comment	Coordinates
			1671–87	Grade I (1950)	altered after London Bridge was widened in 1762
			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.

Date	Listing	Comment	Coordinates
1685–95	Grade I (1950)	rededicated in 1961
1686–87	Grade I (1950)	re-opened in 1961
1676–87	Grade I (1950)	rededicated in 1966	51.5164°N -0.0964°W
1670–84	Grade I (1950)	rededicated in 1957
1670–86	Grade I (1950)	restored in 1957
1670–83	Grade I (1950)	reconsecrated in 1964
1686–94	Grade I (1950)	restored in 1966–8
1671–81	Grade I (1950)	reconsecrated in 1962
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.

Date	Listing	Comment
1686–94	Grade I (1950)	Body of the church demolished in 1871. Tower surrounded by small garden
1670–79	Grade I (1950)	Body of the church was demolished in 1887. Tower is part of an office building.
1677–91	Grade I (1950)	Destroyed in the Blitz. The ruins are a public garden, the tower is private residence
1682–87	Grade II (1950)	Destroyed in the Blitz. The tower is private dwelling
1680–87	Grade I (1950)
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
			1686–94	never listed
			1670–74	Grade II (1972)

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.

Location	Date	Comment	Coordinates
	1681–87	demolished in 1868
Poultry, Walbrook, City of London	1670–77	demolished in 1872
	1678–84	demolished in 1875
	1676–86	demolished in 1876
	1681–98	demolished in 1878
	1670–77	demolished in 1878	51.5119°N -0.0839°W
	1682–85	demolished in 1885
	1683–87	demolished in 1893
	1677–84	demolished in 1894
	1670–75	demolished in 1897

Demolished for other reasons (chronological order)

Date	Demolition	Reason	Coordinates
1670–71	demolished in 1782
1687	demolished in 1831	wider approaches were needed for the rebuilt London Bridge	51.5107°N -0.0873°W
1675–83	demolished in 1840
1670–75	demolished between 1841 and 1846
1675–79	demolished in 1900	judged structurally unsafe in 1892
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
			1677	1940
			1677–83	1941
			1678	1962

Interior refurbished by Christopher Wren

Churches built outside the City of London

These churches were outside the area of the Great Fire of London.

Date	Listing	Comment	Coordinates
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	51.5124°N -0.1323°W
1680–82	Grade I (1958)	Destroyed in 1941; reconsecrated in 1958 after the Blitz.	51.5131°N -0.1139°W
1676–84	Grade I (1958)	Destroyed in 1940; restored in 1947–54 after the Blitz
1682–87	Grade I (1969)	Wren designed the rest of the Hospital, as well.

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