St Stephen Walbrook: Wren’s Other Masterpiece

Approaching St Stephen Walbrook from the North, it looks relatively ordinary with its fairly typical tower and unadorned exterior.

From the East or West you may spot a large green dome: a clue to what lies behind the facade. Go inside however and you will be blown away: St Stephen Walbrook is widely considered Wren’s most spectacular parish church. 

To truly understand the its history, we need to go back to Roman London and as ever there are clues to the history in the name. 

A Lost River and A Roman Temple

The Walbrook is one of London’s lost rivers. It once flowed through the centre of the Roman city of Londinium before being subsumed into the storm drain system underneath the modern metropolis. 

In around AD240, when London was still under Roman rule, a ‘Temple of Mithras’ was constructed by the river. It was located on what is now the West side of the street known as Walbrook (the opposite side to the church).

The temple was essentially a place for an all-male cult to worship the god Mithras. The remains of the temple can amazingly still be seen today, I have a blog post on it here. 

The Medieval St Stephen Walbrook

It is thought the first Christian church was built directly on the site of the temple, abandoned after the Romans left London in around AD400. There was certainly a church there in AD1090 but it is likely there had been one there earlier.

It was rebuilt on the East bank from 1429-39 and then incinerated by the Great Fire of London in 1666. 

 Sir Christopher Wren

St Stephen Walbrook was one of the 51 churches Wren was commissioned to redesign and build after the fire. It was actually his own parish church as he lived at number 15 Walbrook and he spent the whole of 1672 designing it.

Wren used this particular church as an opportunity to test out some of the techniques and theories he would then go on to use at St Paul’s.

It was constructed between 1672-9 and is one of his largest parish churches. It would have once been hemmed in by buildings and the exterior is of a rough stone and brickwork. The spire on the tower was added slightly later, built 1713-1715.

Walk up the 16 steps into the church and you will be immediately struck by the enormous and ornate central dome. It is 19m (63ft) high and the design was actually based on the designs for St Paul’s Cathedral. St Paul’s was finished in 1710 so in a way, St Stephen Walbrook was a bit of a practice run for Wren.

The dome was remarkable for its time and broke tradition by being carried on eight arches supported by eight of the twelve thin columns.

Architectural critic Nikolaus Pevsner described St Stephen Walbrook as one of the ten most important buildings in England and The Critical Review of Publick Buildings in London (1734) said it was ‘famous all over Europe and justly reputed the masterpiece of the celebrated Sir Christopher Wren’. 

The Blitz

The church suffered damage during the Blitz and a bomb went through the dome. It was however repaired after the war to the original designs.

Lots of the original features however did survive and can be admired today. 

What To Spot In The Church Today

One detail you will not fail to notice is the unusual central altar. In 1987 the church was rearranged around a central, circular, polished stone altar, made of travartine marble by the famed sculptor Henry Moore.

The idea was that the community would gather around it and for its central position to represent how the Gospel was central to their lives. 

It went against the Christian tradition of having the altar at the Eastern end of the church and so naturally there was huge opposition to idea from some. The case ended up being taken to the Ecclesiastical courts where it was found to be acceptable. 

The Original Samaritans Phone

Amazingly, St Stephen’s was also where the Samaritans started in 1953. The then rector for the church Dr Chad Varah set up a hotline in the Rector’s Office, in the crypt of the church, in November 1953 for people who felt suicidal.

The original black telephone that he used can still be seen in the church today.

The Samaritans were based at the church for 33 years before moving to Marshall Street in Soho in 1987.

Click here for the Samaritans website.

‘Memento Mori’

Look out as well for a morbid memorial to John Lilburne, a 17th century grocer. The skeleton depicted dancing with a lady is an example of ‘memento mori’, or ‘remember you must die’ in Latin.

How to Visit

In short, for architecture and history fans, St Stephen Walbrook is a must visit.

The church is normally open on Mondays to Friday between 10am and 3.30pm. It is usually closed at weekends. You can see their website here for more information.

Thank you for reading, more of London’s quirky history below!