- St Alban, Wood Street
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St. Alban, Wood Street 
The tower of St. Alban'sCountry England Denomination Roman Catholic, Anglican St Alban's was a church in Wood Street, City of London. It was dedicated to Saint Alban. Only its tower now remains.[1]
Contents
History
Some argue that it dated back to King Offa of Mercia,[2] who is believed to have had a palace on the site which included a chapel. Offa founded an abbey also dedicated to Alban in 793 and subsequently a number of churches were dedicated to St Alban in the City of London. The accounts of the parish clerk date back to 930. In 1077 the abbot of St Albans exchanged the right of presentation of the cleric for this church for the patronage of another church belonging to the abbot of Westminster. At the time of King John the church was known as St Alban Wuderstrate[3].
In 1633 Inigo Jones and Sir Henry Spiller, among others, were requested to examine the church [4], which had fallen into disrepair, and report on its condition. It was found to be beyond repair and was demolished and rebuilt in 1634.
The church was completely destroyed in the Great Fire of London. It was rebuilt by Sir Christopher Wren in a late Perpendicular Gothic style, and completed in 1685. The rebuilt church was divided into nave and aisles by piers shaped as clustered columns, supporting unusually flattened pointed arches.[5] The nave had plaster lierne vaults. [4] After the fire the parish was combined with that of St Olave's, Silver Street, which was not rebuilt..
The church was restored in 1858-9 by George Gilbert Scott, who added an apse.[4]
The 92-foot high tower, which stood on the north side of the church,[5] had four pinnacles which were replaced in 1879.[4]
The building was burnt out and partially destroyed during the Blitz in 1940. The parish was united with that of St Vedast Foster Lane in 1954 and the remains of the body of the church demolished in 1965. The tower was left standing and today remains as a private dwelling on a traffic island. The tower was designated a Grade II* listed building on 4 January 1950.[6]
Parish records
The parish records are held at the Guildhall Library. Receipts for burial with names of deceased can be found in the churchwardens' accounts 1584-1636.
Sources
- ^ Tucker, T. (2006). The Visitors Guide to the City of London Churches. London: Friends of the City Churches.
- ^ "The London Encyclopaedia" Hibbert,C;Weinreb,D;Keay,J: London, Pan Macmillan, 1983 (rev 1993,2008) ISBN 978-1-4050-4924-5
- ^ Reynolds, H. (1922). The Churches of the City of London. London: Bodley Head.
- ^ a b c d Bradley, Simon; Pevsner, Nikolaus. London:the City Churches. The Buildings of England. London: Penguin Books. pp. 74-5. ISBN 0 14 071100 7.
- ^ a b Godwin, George; John Britton (1839). The Churches of London: A History and Description of the Ecclesiastical Edifices of the Metropolis. London: C. Tilt. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=AtI9AAAAcAAJ&printsec=frontcover. Retrieved 8 October 2011.
- ^ Details from listed building database (199836) . Images of England. English Heritage. accessed 24 January 2009
See also
- List of Christopher Wren churches in London
- List of churches rebuilt after the Great Fire but since demolished
External links
- Church Album
- London City Churches
- Church bells of the city of London
- 88 Wood Street building programme
Coordinates: 51°30′59.69″N 0°5′38.95″W / 51.5165806°N 0.0941528°W
Categories:- Christopher Wren churches in London
- Surviving Christopher Wren London churches
- Churches in the City of London, of which only the tower remains
- Grade II* listed churches in London
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