St Helen's Bishopsgate is an Anglican church in London. It is located in Great St Helen's, off Bishopsgate. It is the largest surviving

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

in the

City of London The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London f ...

. Several notable figures are buried there, and it contains more monuments than any other church in Greater London except

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the Unite ...

, hence it is sometimes referred to as the "Westminster Abbey of the City". It was the parish church of

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

when he lived in the area in the 1590s. It was one of only a few churches in the City of London to survive both the Great Fire of 1666 and

the Blitz The Blitz was a German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom in 1940 and 1941, during the Second World War. The term was first used by the British press and originated from the term , the German word meaning 'lightning war'. The Germa ...

. Owing to parish consolidation over the years, the parish is now named "St Helen's Bishopsgate with St Andrew Undershaft and St Ethelburga Bishopsgate and St Martin Outwich and St Mary Axe". The

Worshipful Company of Merchant Taylors ] The Worshipful Company of Merchant Taylors is one of the 110 Livery company, livery companies of the City of London. The Company, originally known as the ''Guild and Fraternity of St John the Baptist in the City of London'', was founded prio ...

are the patrons of the benefice. Today, it is home to a large congregation in the Conservative evangelicalism in the United Kingdom, conservative evangelical tradition with a ministry to city workers, families, students and young professionals. Three English-speaking (and one Mandarin-speaking)

church services A church service (or a service of worship) is a formalized period of Christian communal worship, often held in a church building. It often but not exclusively occurs on Sunday, or Saturday in the case of those churches practicing seventh-day Sa ...

take place each Sunday, as well as a number of midweek talks and small group Bible studies. The nearby churches St Andrew Undershaft and

St Peter upon Cornhill St Peter upon Cornhill is an Anglican church on the corner of Cornhill and Gracechurch Street in the City of London of medieval, or possibly Roman origin. It was destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666 and rebuilt to the designs of Sir C ...

are also administered by St Helen's.

History

Although it is thought that a Roman or a Saxon building might have stood on the site, the first mentions of the

of St Helen date back to the mid-12th century. In 1210, the Dean and chapter of St. Paul's gave William, son of William Goldsmith, permission to establish a priory of

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

nuns; and a nunnery was built alongside the existing church. The new church was wider than the parish church, and longer too, so the parish church was lengthened to match. The masonry of the outer walls as it currently stands was in place by 1300. The church was divided in two by a partition running from east to west, the northern half serving the nuns and the southern the parishioners. In 1480, four great arches were installed between the nun's choir and the parishioner's nave, and a wooden screen was put in place to separate the two. An additional screen was placed in the parish church to separate the

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse. Ov ...

in the east end of the church, where the altar was located, from the

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

. A crypt extended north from the church under the hall. Next to the church, the priory had extensive monastic buildings; they were later acquired and used by the

Worshipful Company of Leathersellers The Worshipful Company of Leathersellers is one of the livery companies of the City of London. The organisation originates from the latter part of the fourteenth century and received its Royal Charter in 1444, and is therefore the senior leath ...

until their demolition in 1799. The church is the only surviving building from a nunnery in the City of London. St helens bishopsgate

When the priory was dissolved in 1538, the nunnery was incorporated in the parish church and the

screen Screen or Screens may refer to: Arts * Screen printing (also called ''silkscreening''), a method of printing * Big screen, a nickname associated with the motion picture industry * Split screen (filmmaking), a film composition paradigm in which mul ...

separating it from the rest of the church was removed. This gave the church its unusual construction consisting of two naves. In the following years, the building was rearranged according the principles of the

Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

, which put the emphasis on the preaching of the Word and on the full and active participation of the congregation. A Jacobean pulpit was erected in 1615 in a central position on the south wall, accompanied by an ornamental tester in 1640. Box pews were installed and arranged around the pulpit. In the 17th century, extensive repairs were carried out, most notably resulting in the addition of two Classical wooden doorcases. By the end of the century, a bell turret was also erected. St Helen's was one of only a few City of London churches to survive the Great Fire of London of 1666. A new organ and organ loft were installed on the west end of the church in 1742, designed by Thomas Griffin. In 1874 the parish was united with that of St Martin Outwich when the latter's church was demolished, and the first incumbent of the new parish was John Bathurst Deane. During the

Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwardia ...

, two significant restorations were carried out. The first, in 1865, provided the two stone

tracery Tracery is an architectural device by which windows (or screens, panels, and vaults) are divided into sections of various proportions by stone ''bars'' or ''ribs'' of moulding. Most commonly, it refers to the stonework elements that support the ...

windows on the east end of the church and stained glass throughout the building. The second, more significant,

Victorian restoration The Victorian restoration was the widespread and extensive refurbishment and rebuilding of Church of England churches and cathedrals that took place in England and Wales during the 19th-century reign of Queen Victoria. It was not the same proc ...

was carried out from 1891 to 1893 by

John Loughborough Pearson John Loughborough Pearson (5 July 1817 – 11 December 1897) was a British Gothic Revival architect renowned for his work on churches and cathedrals. Pearson revived and practised largely the art of vaulting, and acquired in it a proficiency ...

under supervision of the then rector, John Alfred Lumb Airey. This restoration was inspired by the Oxford movement, which advocated moving the centre of importance in the church from preaching to the sacrament of the

Eucharist The Eucharist (; from Greek , , ), also known as Holy Communion and the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite that is considered a sacrament in most churches, and as an ordinance in others. According to the New Testament, the rite was instit ...

. This new arrangement resulted in a new floor with levels gradually ascending from the west to a new high

altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in paga ...

in the east, completed by an ornated reredos and marble pavement, once again enclosed in a

by a

neo-Gothic Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

. The organ was expanded and moved to the south transept, where two additional altars were also placed in two side chapels, the Chapel of the Holy Ghost and the Chapel of our Lady. The church was reopened on St John the Baptist's Day in 1893 by the

Bishop of London A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

Frederick Temple Frederick Temple (30 November 1821 – 23 December 1902) was an English academic, teacher and churchman, who served as Bishop of Exeter (1869–1885), Bishop of London (1885–1896) and Archbishop of Canterbury (1896–1902). Early life ...

St Helen, Great St Helens, London EC3 - Pulpit - geograph

As the church had been used as a burial ground for centuries, it is thought that over a 1000 bodies had been interred in vaults under the floor by this period. The excavation of the floor at the start of the 1891 restoration caused some of the burials to emerge from the vaults: all work had to stop for one year until all human remains were translated to Ilford Cemetery, and a concrete slab was put in place between the floor and the remains of the vault. The church was left undamaged by

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

and it was designated a Grade I-

listed building 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 Irel ...

on 4 January 1950. When Dick Lucas became rector in 1961, St Helen's grew from a small congregation of a few individuals to a large thriving church 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 exper ...

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 or ...

of the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...

, with a reputation for strong Bible teaching and preaching. As the

had grown to become a major business and Financial centre, the church started providing an active midweek ministry to City workers. Next to the lunchtime midweek talks for workers, the three Sunday services are now attended by a diverse range of people including students, young workers, families and internationals. In 1992 and

1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peacefu ...

, the church was badly damaged by two

IRA Ira or IRA may refer to: *Ira (name), a Hebrew, Sanskrit, Russian or Finnish language personal name *Ira (surname), a rare Estonian and some other language family name *Iran, UNDP code IRA Law *Indian Reorganization Act of 1934, US, on status of ...

bombs that were set off nearby. A full restoration was carried out by architect Quinlan Terry, an enthusiast of Georgian architecture, and designed along

lines. The floor was evened out and returned to its original level, which allowed for the installation of underfloor heating, a sound reinforcement system and a baptistry in front of the pulpit. A new gallery was erected on the west end to provide additional seating and house the organ, now returned to its original position. All the windows were glazed in clear glass. The Victorian

was rotated by 90 degrees across the south transept, opening up the former chancel. A new door was opened in the south transept. All altars were removed, giving space to a restored Georgian communion table. The principles of this restoration sought to arrange the building once again around the preaching of the Word and strip it down of the

ritualistic A ritual is a sequence of activities involving gestures, words, actions, or objects, performed according to a set sequence. Rituals may be prescribed by the traditions of a community, including a religious community. Rituals are characterized, ...

elements added in Victorian times, following the needs of the large

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 ...

congregation. This new arrangement allowed the seating capacity to be increased from 500 to a 1000, all in a large open space with a clear view on the pulpit and

lectern A lectern is a reading desk with a slanted top, on which documents or books are placed as support for reading aloud, as in a scripture reading, lecture, or sermon. A lectern is usually attached to a stand or affixed to some other form of support. ...

Activities

The church holds three English-speaking services each Sunday, one at 10:30 am, another at 4:00 pm, and a 6:00 pm evening service. The Sunday afternoon and evening services are followed by an informal meal and opportunities to socialise. A

Mandarin Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to: Language * Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country ** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China ** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...

-speaking service takes place each Sunday at 2:00 pm. A number of lunchtime talks and meetings take place during the working week, providing an opportunity for people who work in the

to hear the Christian message and be encouraged to live as Christians at works. There are also numerous small groups which meet at the church during the week. These include the "Read, Mark, Learn" (RML) groups which either study the Gospel of Mark, the

Gospel of John The Gospel of John ( grc, Εὐαγγέλιον κατὰ Ἰωάννην, translit=Euangélion katà Iōánnēn) is the fourth of the four canonical gospels. It contains a highly schematic account of the ministry of Jesus, with seven "sig ...

, the Epistle to the Romans or a

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts ...

overview over the course of a year, and the Central Focus group which studies a whole variety of topics and books from the Bible. The church also runs the Christianity Explored course regularly. Some activities take place in the nearby church of

and the church of St Andrew Undershaft, which are also administered by St Helen's.

Building

The present building is the result of a substantial restoration in 1993-1995 by architect Quinlan Terry, after consistent damages were incurred by two

bombs in 1992 and 1993. The restoration resulted in a bright, large, flexible open-space interior that can be used in different configurations. It is equipped with modern lighting, underfloor heating, and

public address system A public address system (or PA system) is an electronic system comprising microphones, amplifiers, loudspeakers, and related equipment. It increases the apparent volume (loudness) of a human voice, musical instrument, or other acoustic sound sou ...

. Although some of the monuments were lost due to the bombings, the majority of them survived and were preserved in the building. File:St Helen's Bishopsgate interior - 3.jpg File:St Helen's Bishopsgate interior - 4.jpg

Memorials

# North wall of the nuns' choir, near the west end, Alderman John Robinson, 1599. An Elizabethan group of kneeling figures; the deceased and his wife with nine sons and seven daughters. # In the north-east corner, at the east end of the nuns' choir, altar tomb of Sir

Thomas Gresham Sir Thomas Gresham the Elder (; c. 151921 November 1579), was an English merchant and financier who acted on behalf of King Edward VI (1547–1553) and Edward's half-sisters, queens Mary I (1553–1558) and Elizabeth I (1558–1603). In 1565 G ...

, 1579. Founder of the Royal Exchange and the Gresham Lectures. Before 1995, this space was known as the Gresham Memorial Chapel # In the south transept, Sir Julius Caesar Adelmare, 1636. Judge of the Court of Admiralty. Altar tomb with Latin epitaph in the form of a deed to which is affixed the broad seal of the deceased. Before 1995, this was located side by side the Gresham memorial. # In the south-east corner of the Gresham Memorial Chapel, Sir Andrew Judd 1558. Lord Mayor, citizen and skinner. Founder of

Tonbridge School (God Giveth the Increase) , established = , closed = , type = Public schoolIndependent day and boarding , religion = , president = , head_label ...

. # Under the chancel arch, north of where the high altar once stood, Sir William Pickering, 1574. Ambassador in the reign of

Queen Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen". El ...

. Altar tomb with recumbent figure surmounted by a lofty canopy. # Under the chancel arch, south where the high altar once stood, Sir John Crosby 1476 founder of Crosby Hall, and Agnes his wife. Altar tomb with recumbent figures. # In the south transept, Sir John Oteswich and his wife. Formerly in the church of St Martin Outwich. # Against the south wall of the church, sightly to the west of the south entrance, Sir John Spencer and his wife, 1609. Altar tomb under a canopy with recumbent figures, and a third kneeling figure. File:St Helen, Great St Helens, London EC3 - Tomb chest - geograph.org.uk - 1089608.jpg , Sir

memorial. File:St Helen's Bishopsgate interior - 2.jpg , Sir Julius Caesar Adelmare memorial. File:Figures on the John Spencer Memorial.jpg , Sir John Spencer memorial File:St Helen's Bishopsgate interior - 5.jpg , Victorian Reredos

Organ

The organ dates from 1742 when an annuity organ by Thomas Griffin was installed. It has undergone several restorations since by builders such as

George Pike England George Pike England (ca.1765 – February 1815) was an English organ builder who was among the most prominent in England during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Life He was the son of organ builder George England and Mary Blasdale. He ...

in 1810, J. C. Bishop and Son in 1910 and 1923,

Hill, Norman and Beard William Hill & Son & Norman & Beard Limited (commonly known as Hill, Norman and Beard) were a major pipe organ manufacturer originally based in Norfolk. History They were founded in 1916 by the merger of Norman and Beard and William Hill & Sons ...

in 1929 and 1957 and Martin Goetze & Dominic Gwynn in 1996. A specification of the organ can be found on th
National Pipe Organ Register
St Helen, Great St Helens, London EC3 - West end - geograph

St Helen, Great St Helens, London EC3 - West end - geograph

The organ is of historic significance and has been awarded a Grade II* listing by the

British Institute of Organ Studies The British Institute of Organ Studies (BIOS) is a British organisation and registered charity which aims to promote study and appreciation of all aspects of the pipe organ. Further, it acts as a lobbying body to raise awareness of organ issue ...

Organists

*Thomas Griffin 1744–1771 *George Griffin 1771–1809 *William Henry Cutler 1809–1819 * George Warne 1819–1820 *Joseph Nightingale 1820–1842/7? * William Richard Bexfield 1848–1853 *Mr Deane 1854 *Miss A. Barton 1867 *Richard Simpkin 1995–present

Burials

John Crosby (died 1476) Sir John Crosby (died 1476) was a London merchant and alderman, diplomat and Member of Parliament. A House of York, Yorkist during the Wars of the Roses, he was knighted for his service in resisting an attack on London in 1471 by House of Lanc ...

Robert Knollys (courtier) Sir Robert Knollys (or Knolles) (died 1521) was an English courtier in the service and favour of Henry VII and Henry VIII. Biography Sir Robert was the son of Robert Knollys and Elizabeth Troutbeck, paternal grandson of Sir Richard Knollys and ...

William Holles Sir William Holles (or Hollis) (1471?– 20 October 1542) rose from apprenticeship to a mercer to become master warden of his company and Lord Mayor of London in 1539. Life He was admitted to the freedom of the Worshipful Company of Mercers on ...

Richard Williams (alias Cromwell) Sir Richard Williams ( – 20 October 1544), also known as Sir Richard Cromwell, was a Welsh soldier and courtier in the reign of Henry VIII who knighted him on 2 May 1540. He was a maternal nephew of Thomas Cromwell, profiting from the Dissol ...

Andrew Judde Sir Andrew Judde, or Judd (5 September 1492 – 1558) was a 16th-century English merchant and Lord Mayor of London. He was knighted on 15 February 1551. Biography He was born in Tonbridge, the third son of John Judde, (d. 1493), gentle ...

*Sir

Alberico Gentili Alberico Gentili (14 January 155219 June 1608) was an Italian-English jurist, a tutor of Queen Elizabeth I, and a standing advocate to the Spanish Embassy in London, who served as the Regius professor of civil law at the University of Oxfor ...

* Robert Hooke

Notable ministers

Rectors

* 1541 John Weste * 1571 Thomas * 1575 John Olivar * 1586 ? Lewis * 1592 Nicholas Felton * 1600 Lewis Hughes * 1603 Richard Ball, S.T.B. * 1613 Thomas Downing * 1618 Thomas Evans * 1619 William Laurence * 1621 Joseph Browne, A.M. * 1635 Richard Maden, S.T.B. * 1639 Matthias Milward * 1642 Thomas Edwards * 1645 Samuel Willis * 1647 Arthur Barham * 1663 John Sybbald, A.M * 1666 Thomas Horton, S.T.P. * 1674 Edward Pelling, A.M * 1678 Henry Hesketh, A.M. (nominated

Bishop of Killala The Bishop of Killala () is an episcopal title which takes its name after the village of Killala in County Mayo, Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church it remains a separate title, but in the Church of Ireland it has been united with other bis ...

, 1689). * 1695 Thomas Willis, A.M * 1701 Samson Estwicke. S.T.B * 1713 William Butler, LL.B. (Prebendary of St. Pauls). * 1773 John Naish * 1795 Robert Watts, M.A. * 1799 James Blenkarne, M.A. * 1835 Charles Mackenzie, M.A. * 1847 John Thomas How Le Mesurier, M.A. (

Archdeacon of Gibraltar The archdeacons in the Diocese in Europe are senior clergy of the Church of England Diocese in Europe. They each have responsibility over their own archdeaconry, of which there are currently seven, each of which is composed of one or more deaneries ...

). * 1849 John Edmund Cox, D.D. * 1873–1887: John Bathurst Deane * 1887–1909: John Alfred Lumb Airey * 1909 Silvanus Taylor Hingston Saunders, M.A. * 1951–1953: Ronald Goodchild * 1953–1961: John Miller * 1961–1998: Dick Lucas * 1998–present: William Taylor

Curates

* 1954-1958: Gordon Jones * 1958-1960: Peter Coleman * 1961-1967: David Macinnes * 1970-1973: Ian Barclay * 1973-1978: Robert Howarth * 1976-1981: Jonathan Fletcher * 1977-1978: Thomas Oates * 1978-1982: James Spence * 1982-1984: Simon Manchester * 1985-1995: Hugh Palmer * 1990-1995: Justin Mote * 1994-1996: Carrie Sandom * 1994-1998: Richard Coombs * 1995-1998: William Taylor, now Rector * 1995-1998: Jonathan Juckes * 1998-2007: Nigel Beynon * 2000-2005: Simon Dowdy * 2002-2005: James de Costobadie * 2003–present: Charlie Skrine * 2003-2007: Ben Cooper * 2004-2011: Mark O'Donoghue * 2004-2009: Lee Gatiss, now director of the

Church Society Church Society is a conservative, evangelical Anglican organisation and registered charity formed in 1950 by the merger of the Anglican Church Association (founded 1865) and National Church League (founded 1906 by amalgamation of two earlier bodi ...

* 2005–present: Matt Fuller * 2007-2017:

Andrew Sach Andrew Sach is a contemporary evangelical Christian pastor, speaker and author. He is an ordained Church of England minister and holds a doctorate in neuroscience. He has written several Christian books and is a regular speaker at Word Alive an ...

* 2007-2012: Chris Fishlock * 2007-2013: Paul Clarke * 2007-2010: Andrew Towner * 2009–present: Aneirin Glyn * 2009-2014: Thomas Nash * 2010-2017: Jamie Child * 2016–present: Mickey Mantle

Church plants

St Helen's has been involved in numerous

church planting Church planting is a term referring to the process (mostly in Protestant frameworks) that results in a new local Christian congregation being established. It should be distinguished from church development, where a new service, worship center or ...

initiatives, some within the auspices of the Church of England, some outside of it.

Notes

References

External links

Official websiteTalk by architect Quinlan Terry about the history of the building and its most recent restorationSt Helen's iOS appSt Helen's Android app
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bishopsgate, Saint Helen 13th-century church buildings in England Church of England church buildings in the City of London Evangelicalism in the Church of England Diocese of London Grade I listed churches in the City of London Pre–Great Fire churches in the City of London Monasteries dissolved under the English Reformation