St Anne's Limehouse is a

Hawksmoor Nicholas Hawksmoor (probably 1661 – 25 March 1736) was an English architect. He was a leading figure of the English Baroque style of architecture in the late-seventeenth and early-eighteenth centuries. Hawksmoor worked alongside the principa ...

Anglican Church Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of t ...

Limehouse Limehouse is a district in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in East London. It is east of Charing Cross, on the northern bank of the River Thames. Its proximity to the river has given it a strong maritime character, which it retains throug ...

, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It was consecrated in 1730, one of the twelve churches built through the 1711 Act of Parliament.

History

St Anne's Limehouse was formed from part of the parish of

St Dunstan's, Stepney St Dunstan's, Stepney, is an Anglican Church which stands on a site that has been used for Christian worship for over a thousand years. It is located in Stepney High Street, in Stepney, London Borough of Tower Hamlets. History In about AD 952, ...

, prior to the 18th century a large (but then thinly populated) East London parish that extended all the way down to the

Thames River The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the ...

. As the population of London increased, growing parishes were subdivided. In 1709 a new parish in Limehouse was formed from part of the parish of St. Dunstan. The church may have been named for Queen Anne as she raised money for it by taxing coal passing along the River Thames. The building was designed by

Nicholas Hawksmoor Nicholas Hawksmoor (probably 1661 – 25 March 1736) was an English architect. He was a leading figure of the English Baroque style of architecture in the late-seventeenth and early-eighteenth centuries. Hawksmoor worked alongside the princip ...

, as one of twelve churches built to serve the needs of the rapidly expanding population of London in the 18th century. The scheme never approached its ambitious target of 50 churches, but those built were also known as the Queen Anne Churches. The building was completed in 1727 and consecrated in 1730. The church was built by Edward Strong the Younger a friend of

Christopher Wren the Younger Christopher Wren (1675–1747), of Wroxall Abbey, Warwickshire was a Member of Parliament and the son of the architect Sir Christopher Wren. Life Wren was the second but first surviving son of Sir Christopher Wren and his first wife, Faith Coghi ...

. Queen Anne decreed that as the new church was close to the river it would be a convenient place of registry for sea captains to register vital events taking place at sea. Therefore, she gave St. Anne's Church the right to display the second most senior ensign of the Royal Navy, the

White Ensign The White Ensign, at one time called the St George's Ensign due to the simultaneous existence of a cross-less version of the flag, is an ensign worn on British Royal Navy ships and shore establishments. It consists of a red St George's Cross on ...

. The prominent tower with its golden ball on the flagpole became a

Trinity House "Three In One" , formation = , founding_location = Deptford, London, England , status = Royal Charter corporation and registered charity , purpose = Maintenance of lighthouses, buoys and beacons , he ...

"sea mark" on navigational charts, and the Queen's Regulations still permit St. Anne's Limehouse to display the White Ensign 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The church was gutted by fire on

Good Friday Good Friday is a Christian holiday commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary. It is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum. It is also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, Great and Holy Friday (also Ho ...

1850, and

restored ''Restored'' is the fourth studio album by American contemporary Christian music musician Jeremy Camp. It was released on November 16, 2004 by BEC Recordings. Track listing Standard release Enhanced edition Deluxe gold edition Standard ...

between 1851 and 1854 by

Philip Hardwick Philip Hardwick (15 June 1792 in London – 28 December 1870) was an English architect, particularly associated with railway stations and warehouses in London and elsewhere. Hardwick is probably best known for London's demolished Euston Arch ...

. It was further restored by Julian Harrap between 1983 and 1993, when tubular steel trusses were added to support the roof. The church was

Grade I listed 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 Ire ...

in 1950. St Anne's underwent extensive restoration during 2007–2009, including complete restoration of the organ and work on the altar and floor. The original 1741 pipe organ, destroyed in the 1850 fire, was by

Richard Bridge Richard Bridge or Bridges (died 1758) was a leading English organ-builder of the eighteenth century. In 1748 (according to the '' Morning Advertiser'' of 20 February) he was living in Hand Court, Holborn, London. Works His first recorded organ ...

, modified by William Russell in 1799. The replacement organ, by

Gray and Davison Grey (more common in British English) or gray (more common in American English) is an intermediate color between black and white. It is a neutral or achromatic color, meaning literally that it is "without color", because it can be composed ...

, won first prize in the

Great Exhibition of 1851 The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations, also known as the Great Exhibition or the Crystal Palace Exhibition (in reference to the temporary structure in which it was held), was an international exhibition which took pl ...

at Crystal Palace, and is much prized by musicians. In 2009, the church became the main rehearsal venue for the recently formed

Docklands Sinfonia Docklands Sinfonia is a symphony orchestra in London's Docklands. Since January 2009, the orchestra has been based at St Anne's Limehouse near Canary Wharf. History Docklands Sinfonia was formed in January 2009 by conductor Spencer Down and ...

, and occasionally hosts classical concerts. Today, the church remains the parish church of Limehouse, and is within the

Diocese of London The Diocese of London forms part of the Church of England's Province of Canterbury in England. It lies directly north of the Thames. For centuries the diocese covered a vast tract and bordered the dioceses of Norwich and Lincoln to the nort ...

After the churchyard closed to burials, it was converted to public gardens with the assistance of the

Metropolitan Public Gardens Association The Metropolitan Public Gardens Association (also known as the MPGA) is a charity in London for the purposes of the preservation of public parks and gardens, established in 1882. It facilitated the creation of new public open spaces, including f ...

. The garden was laid out by the Association's landscape gardener Fanny Wilkinson. She retained the notable stone pyramid by Hawksmoor, dating from 1730 and bearing the inscription "The wisdom of Solomon". Also located within the churchyard is a 1918 white stone war memorial with bronze figure of Christ. They are separately Grade II listed.

Present day

St Anne's is within the

Conservative Evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being "born again", in which an individual expe ...

tradition A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays ...

of the Church of England, and it is under the extended episcopal oversight of the Bishop of Maidstone.

Location

The church is next door to

Limehouse Town Hall Limehouse Town Hall is a former town hall building on Commercial Road, in Limehouse, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is a Grade II listed building. History The building was commissioned by the Limehouse Board of Works as a vestr ...

and close to

Limehouse Library Limehouse Public Library is a historical building in Limehouse, London, formerly a public library. The library was first proposed for construction in 1888, but the required finances could not be raised until 1900 when John Passmore Edwards was ...

, both Grade II listed buildings, the former now used as a community centre. Across the road is the former Sailors' Mission, where

Situationist International The Situationist International (SI) was an international organization of social revolutionaries made up of avant-garde artists, intellectuals, and political theorists. It was prominent in Europe from its formation in 1957 to its dissolutio ...

held its conference in 1960. The address is: St Anne's Church, Three Colt Street, London E14 7HP The nearest Docklands Light Railway station is Westferry.

St Peter's Barge

With the redevelopment of the East London Docklands in the late 20th century, over 100,000 people work in the

Canary Wharf Canary Wharf is an area of London, England, located near the Isle of Dogs in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Canary Wharf is defined by the Greater London Authority as being part of London's central business district, alongside Central ...

area, and a large part of this centre of business and finance lies within the parish of St Anne's Church. As a result, St Anne's began to run lunchtime meetings in pubs and

wine bar A wine bar is a tavern-like business focusing on selling wine, rather than liquor or beer. A typical feature of many wine bars is a wide selection of wines available by the glass. Some wine bars are profiled on wines of a certain type of origin, ...

s to reach out to those working in the Wharf. This effort developed with the support of St Helen's Bishopsgate, but further growth was hampered for lack of a permanent venue on the site, which has high property values. The idea to build a floating church was realised with the formation of the St Peter's Canary Wharf Trust and the purchase of a Dutch freight

barge Barge nowadays generally refers to a flat-bottomed inland waterway vessel which does not have its own means of mechanical propulsion. The first modern barges were pulled by tugs, but nowadays most are pushed by pusher boats, or other vessels. ...

in 2003. The barge was refitted in the Netherlands and brought across the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian S ...

under its own power in the summer of that year – a journey which was chronicled in a BBC documentary shown in the autumn. The barge now has a permanent mooring at the heart of

West India Quay West India Quay is an area in the London Docklands, London, England. It is immediately to the north of the West India Docks and Canary Wharf. The warehouse at West India Quay was used to store imported goods from the West Indies, such as tea, sug ...

. A permanent full-time Church of England minister was appointed by the Trust in July 2004 and licensed by the area bishop to head the clergy. In September 2004 St Peter's launched a new Sunday evening congregation with its own programme of meetings and groups to serve the many thousands who now live in the area.St Peter's Barge: London's Floating Church. A Brief History.
1 May 2012.

References

External links

St Anne's Limehouse HomepageCare for St Anne'sSt Peter's Barge HomepageDiocese of LondonBBC Childhood Memory: St Anne's Church, Limehouse, during WW2Restoration of Gray & Davison's pipe organ case and carvings at St Anne's Limehouse Church in London
Laurent Robert, Woodcarver and cabinetmaker {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Annes Limehouse Churches completed in 1730