Holy Trinity the Less was a parish church in Knightrider Street 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 ...
, 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 ...
. Following the fire the site was used for a Lutheran church, which was eventually demolished in 1871 to make way for Mansion House underground station.
Location
The church stood in Queenhithe ward, towards the eastern end of
Knightrider Street
Knightrider Street is a street in the City of London, located a short distance to the south of St Paul's Cathedral. It was originally the site of the German Church built in 1666–5 and demolished in 1867 to make way for Queen Victoria Street ...
, on the south side.
History
The church was medieval in origin, and
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 ...
traced its roots back to 1266.
John Rogers (who would later translate parts of the Bible editor and be martyred) was rector from 1532 to 1534. By 1606, it had fallen into a ruinous state and had to be propped up. It was subsequently demolished and rebuilt
at the expense of the Merchant Taylor's and Vintner's Companies. The patronage of the church belonged to the Prior and convent of
St Mary Overie
Southwark Cathedral ( ), formally the Cathedral and Collegiate Church of St Saviour and St Mary Overie, is a Church of England cathedral in Southwark, London, near the south bank of the River Thames and close to London Bridge. It is the mother c ...
, Southwark, until the
Dissolution, after which it passed to the Crown and then to the Dean and Chapter of Canterbury Cathedral.
[ The parish clerk in the 1550s, ]Henry Machyn
Henry Machyn (1496/1498 – 1563) was an English clothier and diarist in 16th century London.
Machyn's ''Chronicle'', which was written between 1550 and 1563, is primarily concerned with public events: changes on the throne, state visits, ...
, wrote a journal of London events.
Along with most of the other parish churches in the City, Holy Trinity was destroyed by the Great Fire of London in 1666. Four years later, a Rebuilding Act was passed and a committee set up under Sir Christopher Wren
Sir Christopher Wren FRS (; – ) was an English architect, astronomer, mathematician and physicist who was one of the most highly acclaimed architects in the history of England. Known for his work in the English Baroque style, he was ac ...
to decide which ones should be rebuilt. Holy Trinity the Less was not among the 51 chosen. Instead the parish was united with that of St Michael Queenhithe.
The site of the burnt-out Anglican church was used for a German Lutheran
Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...
church, which opened in 1673. It survived until 1871 when it was closed and demolished to make way for the Mansion House underground station
Mansion House is a London Underground station in the City of London which takes its name from Mansion House, the residence of the Lord Mayor of London. It opened in 1871 as the eastern terminus of the Metropolitan District Railway. Today, Mans ...
.
See also
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Holy Trinity The Less
Churches destroyed in the Great Fire of London and not rebuilt
Churches in the City of London
11th-century establishments in England
1666 disestablishments in England