St Edmund, King and Martyr
| St Edmund, King and Martyr | |
 Photo of the church today
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| Country | England |
|---|---|
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | Sir Christopher Wren |
| Style | Baroque |
- For the 9th-century King of East Anglia, Martyr and Saint, see Edmund the Martyr.
St Edmund, King and Martyr is an Anglican church in Lombard Street, in the City of London dedicated to St Edmund the Martyr.[1]
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[edit] History
In 1292, the church is first recorded as 'Saint Edmund towards Garcherche',[2] and it reappears in 1348 as 'Saint Edmund in Lombardestrete'. John Stow, in his Survey of London 1598, revised during 1603, refers to it also as St Edmund Grass Church.[3]
The medieval church was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1666. After the fire the parish was united with that of St Nicholas Acons, which was also destroyed and not rebuilt.[4] The present church was constructed to the designs of Sir Christopher Wren in 1670-1679,[5] with a tower ornamented at the angles by flaming urns in allusion to the Great Fire.[6] George Godwin described the tower as "more Chinese than Italian", [7] while James Peller Malcolm called it "rather handsome, but of that species of architecture which is difficult to describe so as to be understood".[4]
The orientation of the church is unusual, with the altar towards the north, instead of east.[8]
Rectors of the church have included Thomas Lyndford, chaplain in ordinary to George I, and Jeremiah Milles, president of the Society of Antiquaries.[4] The essayist Joseph Addison was married here in 1716.[8]
In September 1868 a riot occurred outside the church, as a consequence of one of a series of Friday morning sermons given by the Rev. J.L. Lyne - known as "Father Ignatius" - in which he had spoken disparagingly of the traders of Lombard Street.[9]
The church was restored in 1864 and 1880. It was damaged by bombing in 1917.[10] It has housed the London Centre for Spirituality and its associated bookshop since 2001, but is still a consecrated church.
The church was designated a Grade I listed building on 4 January 1950.[11]
[edit] Gallery
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Historic engraving
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Now a Centre for Spirituality
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Interior
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ "The London Encyclopaedia" Hibbert,C;Weinreb,D;Keay,J: London, Pan Macmillan, 1983 (rev 1993,2008) ISBN 978-1-4050-4924-5
- ^ London Guide
- ^ "In and around Lombard Street". City of London Essays. http://www.londonessays.co.uk/page4.html. Retrieved 2009-04-11.[dead link]
- ^ a b c Malcolm, James Peller (1803). Londinium Redivivium, or, an Ancient History and Modern Description of London. 3. London. pp. 467-70. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=NysVAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA469.
- ^ "The Old Churches of London" Cobb,G: London, Batsford, 1942
- ^ "London:the City Churches” Pevsner,N/Bradley,S New Haven, Yale, 1998 ISBN 0300096550
- ^ Godwin, George; John Britton (1839). The Churches of London: A History and Description of the Ecclesiastical Edifices of the Metropolis. London: C. Tilt. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=ppgLAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA345&dq.
- ^ a b "The Churches of the City of London" Herbert Reynolds 2008 ISBN 1409713768
- ^ The Times (London, England), Saturday, Sep 19, 1868; pg. 9; Issue 26234
- ^ "A biographical dictionary of British architects, 1600-1840" Yale 2008 ISBN 0300125089
- ^ Details from listed building database (199590) . Images of England. English Heritage. accessed 23 January 2009
[edit] External links
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Coordinates: 51°30′44.62″N 0°5′10.68″W / 51.5123944°N 0.0863°W
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