8 Fascinating Details To Spot At St Dunstan-In-The-West

When you are next walking along Fleet Street, if it’s open, I would recommend exploring St Dunstan-in-the-West church.

Not only is it beautiful inside, it is gifted with a great number of historical curiosities and details to spot. 

A Lucky Church

St Dunstan-in-the-West first appears in the records here in the 12th century, but it is likely there was a church here from the late 10th or early 11th century, soon after St Dunstan’s death in 988AD. 

St Dunstan was one of the most venerated saints of Anglo-Saxon England. Born in 909AD, he was appointed Abbot at Glastonbury in 945AD before becoming Bishop of Worcester, Bishop of London and then Archbishop of Canterbury in 960AD. 

It sat just before the Temple Bar Gateway, marking the Western edge of the jurisdiction of the City. It would have therefore been the last City church medieval Londoners would have passed by whilst heading towards Westminster.

Amazingly it managed to survive the Great Fire of London of 1666. The quick-witted Dean of Westminster sent 40 of his scholars to the church with buckets of water to help subdue the blaze. This, as well as a fortuitous change in wind direction, meant the church was saved from the flames.

Samuel Pepys writes about attending sermons here. It was at one such sermon here that he ‘stood by a pretty, modest maid whom I did labour to take by the hand and the body, but she would not, but got further and further from me’: behaviour pretty characteristic of Pepys. 

As well as Pepys’ salacious diary , the church is mentioned in Dickens’ David Copperfield and Barnaby Rudge. 

A New St Dunstan’s

By the early 1800s the church was falling into disrepair and the authorities wanted to widen the increasingly busy Fleet Street. The old church was therefore knocked down and rebuilt in 1831.

It was designed in a neo-gothic style by the architect John Shaw. He died in 1832 and his son, also called John Shaw, took over.

An Eye-catching Exterior

Now onto the 8 incredible details to spot, starting with the outside.

1. The First Public Clock With A Minute Hand

You will not fail to spot the huge clock jutting out from the church: a well known landmark in London for centuries. It dates from 1671 and is thought to be the first public clock in London to have a minute hand. It was added to the church as thanksgiving for its salvation from the Great Fire.

I also love the two flamboyant statues of Gog and Magog, mythical giant guardians of London with their clubs and golden loin clothes either side of the bells. 

When the church was rebuilt in the 1830s the clock was removed and, to universal outrage, sold to Viscount Hertford. Viscount Rothermere, owner of the Daily Mail and Daily Mirror, purchased it back and returned the clock to the church in 1935 to commemorate the jubilee of King George V.

2. Monument To The Original Press Baron

Being on Fleet Street, it also naturally has strong links to the print and publishing industry.

You can see the old DC Thomson building next door to the church with its lovely mosaic lettering.

Outside the front entrance is this memorial to Lord Northcliffe, brother of Lord Rothermere and co-founder of the Daily Mirror and Daily Mail. You can read more about him here.

3. The Oldest Statue on London’s Streets

You will also see the famous statue of Queen Elizabeth I.

It dates from 1586, so was carved during her lifetime and is, in my opinion, the oldest statue on the streets of London. It is also the only surviving statue of her carved in her lifetime. You can read my blog post on the other contender here.

Until 1760, when it was demolished, the statue sat on the front of the Ludgate, the Westernmost gate in the walls of the city.

Ludgate sat on what is now Ludgate Hill, so just down the road from St Dunstan-in-the-West.

A Look Inside

Inside the church are a number of interesting details.

4. Statues of the Mythical King Lud

Just inside the vestry porch, below the Elizabeth I statue, you will see 3 other statues thought to possibly be of King Lud, the mythical pre-Roman king of Britain, said to have founded London, and his two sons. These are thought to possibly be of a similar period to the Elizabeth I statue and also adorned the Ludgate.

5. A Poetic Ex-Rector

In the front entranceway of the church there is a list of all the previous rectors.

Find the year 1624 and you will find the name of the poet and scholar John Donne. He was the Rector at St Dunstan’s from 1624-31, whilst also the Dean of St Paul’s Cathedral.

William Tyndale, who translated the New Testament into English, was also a preacher here for a time.

6. The Unusual Design

On entering the nave you will be struck by the unusual octagonal design.

This was thought by Shaw to be the best way to make use of a restricted space; he had also used the design before on previous projects. The ceiling, with its sun and stars design, is really stunning.

Many of the features inside the church predate the rebuilding in the 1830s. The reredos behind the altar is 17th century for example.

7. The Romanian Iconostasis

One of the most eye-catching features is the incredible wooden ‘iconostasis’.

This is a common feature in Christian Orthodox churches and would act as a screen between the nave and the sanctuary. As you can see it is covered with various images of religious figures or ‘icons’ and is beautifully carved.

Thought to be over 100 years old, this one came from Romania in 1966 and was originally created for the Monastery of Antim in Bucharest. St Dunstan-in-the-West is home to the Romanian Orthodox Church in London.

8. Striking Monuments

There are a lot of old and interesting memorials and monuments inside the church.

This is a monument to Edward James Auriol, son of the Rector in the mid-19th century, who sadly drowned in 1847 in Geneva at the age of 17.

His monument, as you can see, is a depiction of Edward with his head on a pillow and his hand on his heart. 

Make sure to also spot the tablet to Alexander Layton, ‘ye famed swordsman’, who died in 1679.

His memorial has this brilliant line: ‘His thrusts like lightning flew, more skilful Death Parried ’em all, and beat him out of breath’. 

There is also this memorial to Cuthbert Featherston (1537-1615), Gentleman usher to Queen Elizabeth I. A man with a fantastic name, a glorious ruff and an intimidating stare.

Finally, there is this plaque to Thomas Mudge, watchmaker to King George III.

Mudge invented the detached lever escapement in 1755, that can be found in nearly all mechanical clocks and watches to this day. 

Visiting St Dunstan-In-The-West

The church is open 10am-3pm Monday-Friday.

There is a Mass at 12.30pm every Tuesday and Friends of the City Churches are also there from 11am-3pm on Tuesdays to answer any questions you may have.

Find out more about visiting on their website here.

I have also written about other amazing City churches before such as St Mary Aldermary and St Stephen Walbrook.

Thank you for reading, more London history below!