St. Leonard's, Shoreditch

St Leonard's, Shoreditch, is the ancient parish church of Shoreditch, often known simply as Shoreditch Church. It is located at the intersection of Shoreditch High Street with Hackney Road, within the London Borough of Hackney in East London. The current building dates from about 1740 and is Grade I listed. The church is mentioned in the line ""When I grow rich", say the bells of Shoreditch" from the nursery rhyme ''Oranges and Lemons''.The Centre of Attention at Shoreditch Church''
accessed 06/01/08

The crypt beneath the church is the final resting place of many actors from the Tudor period.

Origins

The original church is possibly Anglo-Saxon in origin, and is thought to be built on the site of an Anglo-Saxon predecessor. The first historical reference to it occurs in the 12th century.

The church was situated near The Theatre, England's first purpose-built playhouse, built in Shoreditch in 1576, and the Curtain Theatre (built in 1577).''The Bells of Shoreditch''
accessed 06/01/08 Several members of the theatrical profession from the Elizabethan period are buried in the church, including:
* James Burbage, the founder of The Theatre, England's first playhouse.
*His son Richard, who was the leading man in many of Shakespeare's plays, which were first performed in the contemporary Shoreditch theatres.
*The comedian Richard Tarlton, who was a stalwart of the pre-Shakespearian stage.
*The actor Gabriel Spenser, who was killed by Ben Jonson in a duel.

These, with others of their profession from the period, are commemorated by a large classical memorial erected by the London Shakespeare League in 1913, inside the church, which serves as a reminder of Shoreditch's Shakespearian heritage.

The Shoreditch Vestry levied a special poor rate in 1774 for the purpose of setting up a workhouse for the parish of St Leonard's, which highlights the level of poverty in the area.

Current building

Following a partial collapse of the tower in 1716, the medieval church was rebuilt in Palladian style by George Dance the Elder during 1736–40, with a soaring steeple 192 feet tall—an imitation of Christopher Wren's magnificent steeple on St Mary-le-Bow in Cheapside—and a giant four-columned, pedimented Tuscan portico. Inside the church, the entablature is supported by giant Doric columns. Dance was also architect of the Mansion House. Many original 18th-century fixtures and fittings remain, including the font, the pulpit, the communion table, clock, organ case, bread cupboards and commandment boards. It was lit with gaslight in 1817, the first in London.

The parish stocks and whipping post stand in the porch of the church, and the Shoreditch parish pump is in the churchyard.

Bells

Whilst the church has had bells for many centuries, as evidenced by its inclusion in the ''Oranges and Lemons'' nursery rhyme, the current ring of 12 bells (plus a "sharp second" to allow a lighter ring of eight bells using 1, sharp second and 3–8 to ring a true octave), hung for change ringing, dates from 1994 when the bells were cast by John Taylor & Co, bellfounders of Loughborough.

The bells in the coat of arms of the London Borough of Hackney represent the bells of this church.

Tracker organ

The organ was built by Richard Bridge in 1756, and retains all the original wooden pipes. It is one of the few surviving examples of a tracker organ without pedals. It is in need of restoration.

Church organ

The church is equipped with a modern electric organ that is used regularly for church services, worship, concerts, and recording. It was the organ used in the Serafina Steer album '' The Moths Are Real'', produced by Jarvis Cocker.

Media use

Between 2010 and 2014, the church was used in the BBC
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