The History Of The Beautiful St Mary Aldermary

There are around 50 churches in the City of London today, each one unique and full of historical surprises. 

St Mary Aldermary is architecturally one of the most important and also ten years ago, underwent an interesting change that put it back at the heart of the community. 

The Medieval Churches

As is usually the case for churches in the City of London, the site has been a place of religious worship going back centuries. There has been a church on the site since at least the 12th century and it is thought to be the oldest church in the City dedicated to St Mary.

The ‘Aldermary’ bit is thought to potentially mean ‘older Mary’, i.e. the older church dedicated to St Mary. There were once 13 churches in the City dedicated to St Mary. I found this great blog post on all 13 of them. 

In 1510 a new church was financed by a very wealthy merchant called Sir Henry Keeble, who was Lord Mayor of London and a parishioner of St Mary Aldermary. The tower was finished later, in 1630. 

There is a depiction of the 16th century church on the outside of the current church, pictured below.

Richard Chaucer, father of Geoffrey Chaucer, was said to have been buried here in 1400. It was also where poet John Milton married his third wife in 1663. 

Wren’s Church

St Mary Aldermary was destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666 and subsequently rebuilt to the designs of Sir Christopher Wren.

It was financed largely by a £5000 endowment in a will from someone called Henry Rogers who wanted the money to be used to build a church.

Rogers’ widow agreed that it could be used to rebuild St Marys. The story goes that she, or the parishioners stipulated that the church must be as close to the original as possible, hence the gothic style of architecture, unusual for Wren. 

Pevsner, the architectural historian, described St Mary Aldermary as “the chief surviving monument of the 17th-century Gothic revival in the City and – with Warwick – the most important late 17th-century Gothic church in England”. Since 1950 it has been Grade I listed.

In 1875 it absorbed another parish, that of St Antholin’s. I have previously written about the very unusual place where you can now find the spire of this demolished church. 

What To Spot Inside

When you walk inside the church, you will be immediately blown away by the star of the show: the ceiling. 

The intricate, white, plaster, fan-vaulted ceiling is more reminiscent of a cathedral; the aim to draw the eye upwards and inspire awe.

Much of the interiors you see today are 19th century when the church was restored in the 1870s. A wooden screen was added between the nave and lobby, a new reredos was put in and stained glass windows replaced.

The stained glass windows you see today are post-war after being blown out by Blitz bombs. It was otherwise, remarkably, largely undamaged. 

The pulpit is thought to be an earlier feature, carved in 1682 by Grinling Gibbons. 

Other 17th century features include the font and the surrounding railings at the Western end.

Look out as well for the odd angle of the east wall. This is apparently because it follows the line of a passageway here prior to 1678.

Wren often had to work within quite specific constraints when rebuilding the City’s churches. 

Also look out for a couple of interesting memorials. Firstly, there is a plaque to James Braidwood, who was married in the church in 1838.

He was the first director of the London Fire Engine Establishment and formed the world’s first municipal fire brigade in Edinburgh. He died tragically whilst fighting the terrible Tooley Street Fire of 1861. James is buried in Abney Park cemetery, which you can find out more about here.

There is also one to Sir Percivall Pott (1714-1788) who was a surgeon at St Bartholomew’s Hospital and gave us the term ‘Pott’s fracture’ for a type of ankle bone break. 

A Modern Reinterpretation

From 2011 it has been the home of the MOOT community. They are a contemplative Christian community who offer a ‘rhythm of life’ inspired by contemporary and traditional practices.

They start the day with a meditative rhythm and engage with silence and stillness.

In 2012 they set up the HOST cafe inside St Mary Aldermary. I would say it is potentially the cafe with the best setting in all of London.

The idea with Host Café is to restore the church as a welcoming hub for the local community. 

The cafe is open from 7.30am-4pm every weekday and serves coffees, cakes and lunches (I had a very tasty focaccia). 

Thank you for reading, more of London’s incredible history and architecture below!