St Andrew Undershaft
| St Andrew Undershaft | |
 Photo of St Andrew Undershaft Church
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| Country | England |
|---|---|
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Architecture | |
| Style | Perpendicular style |
St Andrew Undershaft is a Church of England church located at St Mary Axe, in Aldgate ward of the City of London, near the Lloyd's Building. It is a rare example of a City church that has managed to escape both the Great Fire of London in 1666 and the Second World War bombing during the London Blitz of 1940-1941.[1]
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[edit] History
The first church on the site was built in medieval times, being recorded in 1147.[2] It was rebuilt in the fourteenth century and again in 1532,[3] when the present church building was constructed. It is in the Perpendicular style [4] with its entrance located at the base of its off-centre tower. The interior is divided into six bays, with a many of the original fittings that have fortunately survived Victorian renovation. Formerly, the church had one of London's few surviving large stained-glass windows, installed in the 17th century, but this was destroyed in an IRA bomb-attack in 1992.
The church's curious name derives from the shaft of the maypole that was traditionally set up each year opposite the church.[5] The custom continued each spring until 1517, when student riots put an end to it, but the maypole itself survived until 1547 when a Puritan mob seized it and destroyed it as a "pagan idol".
The church is currently administered from St Helen's Bishopsgate in Lime Street ward. The church was designated a Grade I listed building on January 4, 1950.[6]
[edit] Organ
The organ was installed in 1696 by Renatus Harris. A swell was added in 1750 by John Byfield. There have been other restorations and enhancements by George Pike England in 1810-11 and 1826. Further work was carried out by William Hill, Speechly and J. W. Walker & Sons, and Rushworth and Dreaper. A specification of the organ can be found on the National Pipe Organ Register.
The organ is of such historic significance that it has been awarded a Grade I Historic Organ Certificate by the British Institute of Organ Studies.
[edit] Organists
- William Goodgroome 1696
- Philip Hart 1720-1749
- John Worgan 1749-1790
- Miss Mary Allen 1790-1836
- Richard Limpus 1847
- William Rea 1847-1858
- Miss Elizabeth Stirling 1858-1880 (became Mrs F. A. Bridges)
- C.F. Frye 1880-1886
- W.M. Wait 1887-1891
- Herbert George Preston 1891-1912[7]-1913
- William A.S. Ballard 1913-1921[8]-????
[edit] Notable people associated with the church
- John Stow, author of the Survey of London: buried in 1605. The pen held in the hand of his alabaster monument is renewed annually by the Lord Mayor of London.
- Hugh Hamersley, Lord Mayor of London in 1627, whose memorial is in the church.
- Hans Holbein the Younger (1497–1543) was a parishioner of the church.
- John Lawrence Toole the famous comedian was born and christened here.
- Fabian Stedman the father of church bellringing was buried here.
[edit] Notes
- ^ "The Visitors Guide to the City of London Churches" Tucker,T: London, Friends of the City Churches, 2006 ISBN 0955394503
- ^ "The London Encyclopaedia" Hibbert,C;Weinreb,D;Keay,J: London, Pan Macmillan, 1983 (rev 1993,2008) ISBN 978-1-4050-4924-5
- ^ "London:the City Churches" Pevsner,N/Bradley,S : New Haven, Yale, 1998 ISBN 0300096550
- ^ "The City of London Churches" Betjeman,J Andover, Pikin, 1967 ISBN 0853721122
- ^ Cobb,G “London city churches”: London, B T Batsford Ltd., 1977
- ^ Details from listed building database (199733) . Images of England. English Heritage. accessed 23 January 2009
- ^ Dictionary of Organs and Organists, First Edition, Frederick W. Thornsby, 1912
- ^ Dicionary of Organs and Organists, Second Edition. G. A. Mate, 1921
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: St Andrew Undershaft |
Coordinates: 51°30′49.18″N 0°4′52.72″W / 51.5136611°N 0.0813111°W
