St. James Garlickhythe Church, London

Yet more London churches!

This is a continuation on my previous posts, exploring London's amazing collection of beautiful churches, with a particular emphasis on the works of Sir Christopher Wren.

I took these photos in March, 2018.

There has been a church on this site since at least the 12th century, at which time it would have been nearly on the banks of the Thames. But now a blocky, modern office building stands between it and the river.

The church gets its peculiar name because it was near the landing place (hythe) where garlic was sold in medieval times.

The old church was destroyed in the fire of 1666. Christopher Wren was responsible for the new church, one of 51 he built across London after the fire.

During the Blitz in 1941 the church suffered much damage to its exterior.

More London Churches

Here are a few more of the unusual, beautiful and sometimes lesser known churches of London, to accompany my earlier post on London churches.

All Hallows on the Wall
This simple and elegant little church, built on the site of a medieval church which was itself built on top of the ancient Roman wall that once surrounded London, holds a special meaning for me. It was here, in its medieval incarnation, that my 17th century ancestors were married before they set forth on the long and dangerous voyage to the New World.

Saint Botolph's Aldgate was designed by George Dance the Elder, father of the designer of the church above. Now dwarfed by the orgy of glass-box construction currently in progress in London, it occupies part of the site of the main Roman gateway into the ancient city.

All Souls Church, by John Nash, boasts a highly original design for an entrance and spire. This grew out of a particular difficulty of the site. Nash's design demonstrates clearly how classical architecture is a flexible idiom that can result in very location-specific designs. The challenge of this site is that it sits at a very obvious and prominent bend in Regent Street, which could have resulted in awkward side views of the church's main elevation. Nash turned this to his advantage by designing a powerful circular composition that has no obvious front. The tower ends up anchoring the street view, becoming an important landmark and orientation point for the entire district.

Music lovers will no doubt have heard of Saint Martin in the Fields, a church which boasts acoustics finer than most concert halls and hosts impressive gatherings of the finest classical musicians in the world, while still being a church with an active congregation.  Saint Martin was designed by James Gibbs in the 1720s. Recent archeological evidence suggests it may occupy the site of a pagan temple. Incidentally, if you are visiting London, it is right on Trafalgar square and has a great restaurant in its crypt. So if you're looking for a spot of nosh while traipsing through the London throngs, this is a convenient place to dine close to the ancestors.

 

 

 

 

 

Saint James Church in Muswell Hill is a fine example of late Victorian Gothic. It is typical of churches of the period, demonstrating a high level of skill in its application of the Gothic structural and decorative idioms. The complexity, and yet perfect coordination of elements of the design far exceed the complexity of similar-sized buildings typical of our time. The craftsmanship in stone, wood and glass shows how the Victorians were able to foster high levels of craftsmanship at costs affordable enough to be available to a typical London suburban community.