St Stephen Walbrook is a church in the

City of London The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London f ...

, part of the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...

's Diocese of London. The present domed building was erected to the designs of Sir Christopher Wren following the destruction of its medieval predecessor in the Great Fire of London in 1666. It is located in Walbrook, next to the Mansion House, and near to Bank and Monument Underground stations.

Early history

The original church of St Stephen stood on the west side of the street today known as Walbrook and on the east bank of the

Walbrook Walbrook is a City ward and a minor street in its vicinity. The ward is named after a river of the same name. The ward of Walbrook contains two of the City's most notable landmarks: the Bank of England and the Mansion House. The street runs ...

, once an important fresh water stream for the Romans running south-westerly across the City of London from the City Wall near Moorfields to the Thames. The original church is thought to have been built directly over the remains of a Roman Mithraic Temple following a common Christian practice of hallowing former heathen sites of worship. The church was moved to its present higher site on the other side of Walbrook Street, still on the east side of the River Walbrook (later diverted and concealed in a brick culvert running under Walbrook Street and Dowgate Hill on a straightened route to the Thames), in the 15th century. In 1429 Robert Chichele, acting as executor of the will of the former Lord Mayor, William Standon, had bought a piece of land close to the

Stocks Market Stocks Market was a market in central London operating between 1282 and 1737 and for centuries was London's main retail meat and produce market. The market was located to the east of the Walbrook in the heart of the City of London. It was demol ...

(on the site of the later Mansion House) and presented it to the parish. Several foundation stones were laid at a ceremony on 11 May 1429, and the church was consecrated ten years later, on 30 April 1439. At long and wide, it was considerably larger than the present building.White 1900, p.296 The church was destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666. It contained a memorial to the composer

John Dunstaple John Dunstaple (or Dunstable, – 24 December 1453) was an English composer whose music helped inaugurate the transition from the medieval to the Renaissance periods. The central proponent of the ''Contenance angloise'' style (), Dunstaple was ...

. The wording of the epitaph had been recorded in the early 17th century, and was reinstated in the church in 1904, some 450 years after his death. The nearby church of St Benet Sherehog, also destroyed in the Great Fire, was not rebuilt; instead its parish was united with that of St Stephen.

Wren's church

The present building was constructed between 1672 and 1679 to a design by

Sir Christopher Wren Sir Christopher Wren PRS FRS (; – ) was one of the most highly acclaimed English architects in history, as well as an anatomist, astronomer, geometer, and mathematician-physicist. He was accorded responsibility for rebuilding 52 churches ...

, at a cost of £7,692. The mason was Thomas Strong brother of

Edward Strong the Elder Edward Strong the Elder (1652–1724) and Edward Strong the Younger (1676–1741) were a father and son pair of British sculptors mainly working in London in the 17th and 18th centuries. They led a team of 65 masons and were responsible f ...

and the spire is by Edward Strong the Younger. It is rectangular in plan, with a dome and an attached north west tower. Entry to the church is up a flight of sixteen steps, enclosed in a porch attached to the west front. Wren also designed a porch for the north side of the church. This was never built, but there once was a north door, which was bricked up in 1685, as it let in the offensive smells from the slaughterhouses in the neighbouring Stocks Market. The walls, tower,Britton and Pugin 1825, p37 and internal columns are made of stone, but the dome is of timber and plaster with an external covering of copper The high dome is based on Wren's original design for St Paul's, and is centred over a square of twelve columns of the Corinthian order. The circular base of the dome is not carried, in the conventional way, by

pendentive In architecture, a pendentive is a constructional device permitting the placing of a circular dome over a square room or of an elliptical dome over a rectangular room. The pendentives, which are triangular segments of a sphere, taper to point ...

s formed above the arches of the square, but on a circle formed by eight arches that spring from eight of the twelve columns, cutting across each corner in the manner of the

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

squinch. This all contributes to create what many consider to be one of Wren's finest church interiors. Sir

Nikolaus Pevsner Sir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner (30 January 1902 – 18 August 1983) was a German-British art historian and architectural historian best known for his monumental 46-volume series of county-by-county guides, ''The Buildings of England'' (1 ...

lists it as one of the ten most important buildings in England. The contemporary carved furnishings of the church, including the altarpiece and Royal Arms, the pulpit and font cover, are attributed to the carpenters Thomas Creecher and Stephen Colledge, and the carvers William Newman and Jonathan Maine. In 1760 a new organ was provided by George England. In 1776 the central window in the east wall was bricked up to allow for the installation of ''Devout Men Taking Away the Body of St Stephen'', a painting by

Benjamin West Benjamin West, (October 10, 1738 – March 11, 1820) was a British-American artist who painted famous historical scenes such as '' The Death of Nelson'', ''The Death of General Wolfe'', the '' Treaty of Paris'', and '' Benjamin Franklin Drawin ...

, which the rector, Thomas Wilson, had commissioned for the church. The next year Wilson set up in the church a statue of

Catharine Macaulay Catharine Macaulay (née Sawbridge, later Graham; 23 March 1731 – 22 June 1791), was an English Whig republican historian. Early life Catharine Macaulay was a daughter of John Sawbridge (1699–1762) and his wife Elizabeth Wanley (died 1733 ...

, (then still alive) whose political ideas he admired. It was removed after protests. The east window was unblocked, and the picture moved to the north wall, during extensive restorations in 1850.

Recent history

St Stephen Walbrook Church Interior 2, London, UK - Diliff

The church suffered slight damage from bombing during the

London Blitz The Blitz was a German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom in 1940 and 1941, during the Second World War. The term was first used by the British press and originated from the term , the German word meaning 'lightning war'. The Germa ...

of 1941 and was later restored. In 1954, the united parishes of St Mary Bothaw and St Swithin London Stone (merged in 1670) were themselves united with the parish of St Stephen. The church was designated a Grade I

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

on 4 January 1950. In 1953 the Samaritans charity was founded by the rector of St Stephen's, Dr Chad Varah. The first Samaritans branch (known as Central London Branch) operated from a crypt beneath the church before moving to Marshall Street in

Soho Soho is an area of the City of Westminster, part of the West End of London. Originally a fashionable district for the aristocracy, it has been one of the main entertainment districts in the capital since the 19th century. The area was develo ...

. In tribute to this, a telephone is preserved in a glass box in the church. The Samaritans began with this telephone, and today the voluntary organisation staffs a 24-hour telephone hot-line for people in emotional need. In 1987, as part of a major programme of repairs and reordering, a massive white polished stone

altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in paga ...

commissioned from the sculptor Henry Moore by churchwarden Peter Palumbo was installed in the centre of the church. Its unusual positioning required the authorisation of a rare judgement of the

Court of Ecclesiastical Causes Reserved The Court of Ecclesiastical Causes Reserved is an appellate court within the hierarchy of ecclesiastical courts of the Church of England. Hearing cases involving church doctrine, ceremony, or ritual, the court has jurisdiction over both the Provin ...

. In 1993 a circle of brightly coloured

kneeler A kneeler is a cushion (also called a tuffet or hassock) or a piece of furniture used for resting in a kneeling position during Christian prayer. In many churches, pews are equipped with kneelers in front of the seating bench so members of ...

s designed by

Patrick Heron Patrick Heron (30 January 1920 – 20 March 1999) was a British abstract and figurative artist, critic, writer, and polemicist, who lived in Zennor, Cornwall. Heron was recognised as one of the leading painters of his generation. Influenced b ...

was added around the altar.

's ''Devout men taking away the body of St Stephen'', previously hung on the north interior wall, was put into storage following the reordering. This decision was controversial, as the initial removal of the painting was illegal. In 2013 the church was given permission to sell the painting to a foundation, despite opposition from the London Diocesan Advisory Committee for the Care of Churches, and by the Church of England's Church Buildings Council. Prior to the painting's export, a temporary export bar was placed on it to give it a last chance to stay in the UK. The foundation has since loaned it to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, which has undertaken restoration work on the painting. On 14 July 1994, the church was the venue for the wedding of Lady Sarah Armstrong-Jones to

Daniel Chatto Daniel St George Chatto (born Daniel Chatto St George Sproule; 22 April 1957) is a British artist and former actor. He is the husband of Lady Sarah Chatto, the daughter of Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, niece of Queen Elizabeth II and c ...

. At the time of his retirement in 2003, at the age of 92, Dr Chad Varah was the oldest serving incumbent in the Church of England.

Rectors

*Peter 1301–1302 *Hugh de Marny 1315 *Willian de Stansfield 1325–1327 *Thomas Blundell 1350–1359 *Robert Eleker 1351–1385 *John Brown 1391–1395 *John Horewood 1395–1396 * Henry Chichele 1396–1397. Later Archbishop of Canterbury *John Horewood 1397–1400 *John Beachfount 1400–1403 *Radman died 1419 *William Rock 1422. Resigned * Thomas Southwell 1428–1440 *William Trokill 1440–1474 *Robert Rous 1474–1479 *William Sutton 1479–1502 *John Young 1502 *

John Kite John Kite (died 1537) was successively Archbishop of Armagh (Roman Catholic), Archbishop of Armagh, 1513–1521, and Bishop of Carlisle, 1521–1537. John Kite was educated at Eton College and then at King's College, Cambridge, where he ...

1522–1534 *Elisha Bodley 1534 *

Thomas Becon Thomas Beccon or Becon (c. 1511–1567) was an English cleric and Protestant reformer from Norfolk. Life Beccon was born c.1511 in Norfolk, England. He entered the University of Cambridge in March 1526-27, probably St John's College, Cambridge, ...

*William Ventris 1554–1556 * Henry Pendleton 1556–1557 *Humphrey Busby 1557–1558 *Philip Pettit 1563 or 1564 *John Bendale 1563 or 1564 *Henry Wright 1564–1572 *Henry Trippe 1572–1601 *

Roger Fenton Roger Fenton (28 March 1819 – 8 August 1869) was a British photographer, noted as one of the first war photographers. Fenton was born into a Lancashire merchant family. After graduating from London with an Arts degree, he became interested i ...

1601–1616 *Thomas Muriel 1615–1625 *Aaron Wilson 1625–1635 * Thomas Howell 1635–1641 *Michael Thomas 1641–1642 *Thomas Warren 1642 * Thomas Watson 1642–1662. Sequestered. *Robert Marriott 1662–1689 *William Stonestreet 1689–1716 *Joseph Rawson 1716–1719 *Joseph Watson 1719–1737 *Thomas Wilson 1737–1784 *George S. Townely 1784–1835 * George Croly 1835–1861. Also a poet and novelist. *William Windle 1861–1899 *Robert Stuart de Corcy Laffan 1899–1927 *Charles Clark 1927–1940 * Frank Gillingham 1940–1953 * Chad Varah 1953–2003 * Peter Delaney 2004–2014. As

priest in charge A priest in charge or priest-in-charge (previously also curate-in-charge) in the Church of England is a priest in charge of a parish who is not its incumbent. Such priests are not legally responsible for the churches and glebe, but simply hold a ...

*Jonathan Evens 2015–2018. As priest in charge *Stephen Baxter 2018–

Burials

* Sir Rowland Hill, first Protestant

Lord Mayor of London The Lord Mayor of London is the mayor of the City of London and the leader of the City of London Corporation. Within the City, the Lord Mayor is accorded precedence over all individuals except the sovereign and retains various traditional pow ...

* Elizabeth Jekyll (1624-1653) diarist * John Vanbrugh The nearest London Underground station is

Bank A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets. Because ...

Gallery

File:Interior St Stephen Walbrook.jpg, Interior of St Stephen Walbrook File:St Stephen Church Ceiling.jpg, St Stephen Walbrook Ceiling 21st century File:St. Stephen Walbrook, Walbrook, EC4 - organ - geograph.org.uk - 1133186.jpg, The organ over the west door File:St Stephen Walbrook, Walbrook, City of London EC4N 8BN - Pulpit - geograph.org.uk - 426537.jpg, The wooden pulpit with its huge tester File:St Stephen Walbrook, Walbrook, City of London EC4N 8BN - Font - geograph.org.uk - 426541.jpg, The covered font File:The dome of the Church of St. Stephen Walbrook, Walbrook, EC4 - geograph.org.uk - 1131675.jpg, The dome and lantern seen from outside File:St Stephen Walbrook 20130324 033.jpg

Notes

References

* *

External links

St Stephen Walbrook's parish website

Church of England's St Stephen Walbrook page

History of the Samaritans

360° panorama inside St Stephen Walbrook
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Stephen Walbrook Christopher Wren church buildings in London Church of England church buildings in the City of London 17th-century Church of England church buildings English Baroque church buildings Church buildings with domes Rebuilt churches in the United Kingdom Diocese of London Grade I listed churches in the City of London Churches in the City of London