St Augustine Watling Street

Infobox church
name = St. Augustine, Watling Street
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denomination = Roman Catholic, Anglican
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demolished_date = 1941
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address = London
country = United Kingdom
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St Augustine, Watling Street was an Anglican church formerly located just to the east of St Paul's Cathedral ["Vanished Churches of the City of London", Huelin,G. : LOndon, Guildhall Library Publication 1996 ISBN 0900422424] in the City of London. It was destroyed in the Second World War but its remains now form part of St Paul's Cathedral Choir School.

History

Its foundation date is unknown, but it is first recorded "circa" 1148. It was destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666 ["Churches in the City of London", Reynolds,H. : London, Bodley Head, 1922] but was rebuilt in the 1680s ["Wren", Whinney, M. : London, Thames and Hudson Ltd, 1971 ISBN 0500201129] . Constructed in an austere style [ "The City of London Churches" Betjeman,J Andover, Pikin, 1967 ISBN 0853721122] , the church (51ft. by 45ft.) was divided into a nave and six aisles by six Ionic columns upon which rested a barrel vault ["London:the City Churches Pevsner,N/Bradley,S : New Haven, Yale, 1998 ISBN 0300096550] . The altar piece had Corinthian columns and the pulpit was of carved oak."The Lost Treasures of London", Kent, W. : London, Phoenix House, 1947] Its distinctive tower was constructed in the 1690s – it is thought to have been designed by Nicholas Hawksmoor – and was heavily modified in 1830. The pulpit was modernised by Arthur Blomfield in 1878.

The entire church was destroyed in 1941 [ "The City of London Churches", Betjeman, J. : Andover, Pitkin 1972 ISBN 0853721122] . It was not rebuilt, but as part of the construction works for the new choir school (completed 1967) the tower was reconstructed along its original lines. It is physically incorporated [List of churches and cathedrals of London] into the concrete building of the choir school, creating a marked contrast between the Baroque tower and the modernist school building. Partial records exist and are available through IGI [ [http://www.gendocs.demon.co.uk/city-ch.html Details for record hunters] ] .

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