The Church Named After A Shoe: St Margaret Pattens

London’s churches, packed with centuries worth of stories and historical artefacts, are always worth a visit if you have the time.

Their names also often tell a fascinating story and certainly is the case for St Margaret Pattens. 

St Margaret Pattens can be found on Eastcheap, in the financial district, towered over today by 20 Fenchurch Street, aka the ‘Walkie Talkie’. 

Origins

Before the Great Fire in 1666 there were 107 churches in the area we now call the City of London. It was a city of spires, with practically every one or two streets having their own church.

One of those 107 was St Margaret Pattens. The first recorded church here was in 1067, probably made from wood and dedicated to St Margaret of Antioch. 

What is a patten?

A patten is a sort of wooden and/or metal clog or undershoe that medieval Londoners would have strapped to their actual shoes to raise them above the dirt and grime of the city’s filthy streets. 

They were used in some cases right up until the 19th century when most streets had finally been paved.

They were worn all over the world, including fashionably in Venice by courtesans to ‘bring their bosoms more directly to the gaze of men’s eyes’.

John Stow, an Elizabethan writer and antiquarian, wrote that the church’s name comes from the many pattenmakers living and working on Rood Lane, next to the church. 

The Worshipful Company Of Pattenmakers

The Worshipful Company of Pattenmakers has been associated with the church since the 15th century.

They are one of the 111 livery companies in the city, organisations that started off as medieval trading guilds to set pricing, protect who could enter the trade and support their members. Today the livery companies are largely educational, charitable and social institutions. 

The Pattenmakers were first recorded in 1379 and they received their royal warrant in 1717. The company still today have their ‘Ascension Day’ service at the church and there are lists of previous masters inside.

Today they are pretty much a charitable organisation with money going to schools as well as supporting the footwear industry, such as orthopaedic footwear. 

The company is aware of one surviving pattenmaker to this day: Nick Horten. He makes mud pattens which allow the wearers to ‘run on mud’ instead on sinking knee-deep. You can see a video of him using them here.

All the images above are from the display of pattens the company has inside the church.

Later Churches

St Margaret’s was rebuilt in stone at a later date but was demolished in 1530 after falling into disrepair.

A cross or ‘rood’ was erected outside the church for people to pray to and leave donations for the rebuilding, in exchange, of course, for the pardoning of their sins. The little street, Rood Lane, next to the church, takes its name from this.

The new church was completed in 1538 and served the community until it burnt down in the Great Fire. 

Wren’s Only ‘True Spire’

St Margaret Pattens was rebuilt by Sir Christopher Wren in 1687 and the spire completed in 1702. 

The spire, at 199 feet, is the third tallest in the city, behind St Mary le Bow and St Bride’s. It is sometimes referred to as Wren’s only ‘true spire’ as he designed it, unusually, in a more medieval, gothic style. 

It has a simple rectangular layout and is one of the few to have survived significant damage during the Blitz. 

In 1954 it became a ‘Guild church’, meaning it ceased to be a parish church but instead holds midweek services under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of London. 

What Else To Look Out For

As well as the display of pattens there is also a display of baskets by the Worshipful Company of Basketmakers.

Established in 1569, the trade itself has had an association with the church since the 15th century. 

Look behind you as you enter to see an impressive organ dating from 1749 and an impressive Stuart coat of arms.

There is also an example of a Lord Mayor’s sword rest at the front.

The Lord Mayor would traditionally visit a different church every Sunday and naturally needed somewhere fabulous to rest his sword. There are a few surviving sword rests in City churches today.

The memorial below is to Sir Peter Delmé (died 1728) and his family, a merchant who was a Lord Mayor of the City and a director and then governor of the Bank of England.

He was said to be the greatest exporter of woollen goods of any one person in England. 

St Margaret Pattens is unique in the city in having these wooden canopied pews at the back of the nave. These would have been for the church wardens.

Subtler Details

I also really like the simpler and, on the surface, less significant details in these quiet churches. 

The understated memorial below is to various members of the Capel family for example, including Osmond Capel who died aged 10 and Anna Capel, fifth and youngest daughter of Henry and Mary Capel who died aged 12. 

You can also see a list of the rectors of the church going back to the early 1300s. These lists always interest me as they condense the centuries into a list of names and dates, creating a human connection going back through history.

I also spotted this bollard outside the church from 1817, proudly proclaiming itself inside the parish of St Margaret Pattens.

Find out more about visiting on the church’s website here.

Thank you for reading, more of London’s beautiful and historic churches below…