0 City churches were destroyed in the inconceivable horror of the Fire of London in 1666. An astonishing number -51- were rebuilt under the direction of Sir Christopher Wren, astronomer and architect, an ecclesiastical rebuilding programme unmatched anywhere in the world. With great sensitivity, and, even greater nuts and bolts skill, he managed to shoehorn completely reimagined preaching and praying spaces onto existing medieval footprints. He transformed desolate rubble into 51 churches in the short space of 25 years.
On our first Wren walk this spring, we focussed on three central-focus ‘Greek Cross plan’ churches, while passing other Wren churches en route. For this follow-up morning, we visit three of Wren’s ‘rectangular-planned’ churches. En route we compare two superb and eccentric steeples finished in the early 18c: St Mary Le Bow and St Bride Fleet Street.
We begin with the great city church of St Margaret Lothbury, official church of no fewer than five livery companies, replete with numerous original 17c furnishings, including a reredos by Grinling Gibbons. By total contrast, St Mary Aldermary is a Gothic revival oddity among Wren churches, reminding us of the 1350’s cloisters of Gloucester Cathedral, or the early 16c fan vault of Kings College Chapel, Cambridge. We end with St Martin Ludgate, a jewel among Wren’s churches; he ingeniously squeezed an irregular oblong into a centrally-planned and beautifully-formed space, with magnificent carvings of the 1680’s. We discuss how Wren related this little gem to the mighty St Paul’s which towers over it from the top of Ludgate Hill.
Wren’s city churches make contrasting kinds of architectural music. With increased understanding and awareness of Wren’s 51 City churches and the new St Paul’s Cathedral, we may eventually ‘hear’ a great Wren symphony composed especially for London! We hope you will join us for another illuminating Wren city event.
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