St. Leonard, Eastcheap, sometimes referred to as ''St Leonard Milkchurch'', was a parish church in the

City of London The City of London, also known as ''the City'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and Districts of England, local government district with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in England. It is the Old town, his ...

. Of medieval origin, it was destroyed in the

Great Fire of London The Great Fire of London was a major conflagration that swept through central London from Sunday 2 September to Wednesday 5 September 1666, gutting the medieval City of London inside the old London Wall, Roman city wall, while also extendi ...

in 1666 and not rebuilt. The site of the church was retained as a graveyard.

History

The church stood in Fish Street Hill, on the corner of

Eastcheap Eastcheap is a street in central London that is a western continuation of Great Tower Street towards Monument junction. Its name derives from ''cheap'', the Old English word for marketplace, market, with the prefix 'East' distinguishing it from ...

, in the ward of Bridge Within. It was also known as St Leonard Milkchurch, a name, according to

John Stow John Stow (''also'' Stowe; 1524/25 – 5 April 1605) was an English historian and antiquarian. He wrote a series of chronicles of History of England, English history, published from 1565 onwards under such titles as ''The Summarie of Englyshe C ...

, derived from one of its builders, William Melker. Its existence is recorded as early as 1259. During the 19th century, excavations in Eastcheap for the new Metropolitan District Railway revealed the foundations of the church. They showed the remains of a long chancel and a nave, the masonry on the north side of which incorporated what was believed to be Roman brickwork. The patronage of the church belonged to the prior and abbey of Christchurch, Canterbury, and then to the dean and chapter of

Canterbury Cathedral Canterbury Cathedral is the cathedral of the archbishop of Canterbury, the spiritual leader of the Church of England and symbolic leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion. Located in Canterbury, Kent, it is one of the oldest Christianity, Ch ...

. The church contained monuments to the members of the Dogget family, including John Dogget, who died in about 1456 and gave land to the church. In 1618 the church was badly damaged by fire. The steeple, with its lead-covered spire, and the west end of the church were so badly damaged that they had to be demolished, and reconstructed on new foundations. The south wall was then also rebuilt, and other repairs made. The church was destroyed in the

in 1666 and not rebuilt. Instead its parish was united with that of

St Benet Gracechurch St Benet Gracechurch (or Grass Church) was a parish church in the City of London. First recorded in the 11th century, it was destroyed in the Great Fire of London of 1666 and rebuilt by the office of Sir Christopher Wren. The church was demolis ...

and the site of the church was retained as a graveyard. 55a Leonard Eastcheap

Present day

The parish now forms part of the combined

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

of '' St Edmund the King and Martyr, and St Mary Woolnoth Lombard Street with St Nicholas Acons, All Hallows Lombard Street,

, St Leonard Eastcheap,

St Dionis Backchurch St Dionis Backchurch was a parish church in the Langbourn ward of the City of London. Of medieval origin, it was rebuilt after the Great Fire of London to the designs of Christopher Wren and demolished in 1878. Early history The church of St D ...

and St Mary Woolchurch Haw'' – usually shortened to "St Edmund & St Mary Woolnoth". It is part of the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...

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, covering and all or part of 17 London boroughs. This corresponds almost exactly to the historic county of ...

.Diocese of London
St Edmund & St Mary Woolnoth

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Leonard, Eastcheap Churches destroyed in the Great Fire of London and not rebuilt Churches in the City of London Former buildings and structures in the City of London 11th-century establishments in England 1666 disestablishments in England