St Margaret Lothbury is a
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, ...
parish church on
Lothbury 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 ...
; it spans the boundary between Coleman Street Ward and
Broad Street Ward. Recorded since the 12th century, the church 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 rebuilt by the office of
Sir Christopher Wren. St Margaret Lothbury still serves as a parish church, as well as being the official church of five Livery Companies, two Ward Clubs and two Professional Institutes. It also has connections with many local finance houses, all of which hold special services each year.
History
The earliest mention of St Margaret Lothbury is from 1185. The patronage of the church belonged to the
abbess and convent of Barking, Essex until the
Dissolution, when it passed to the Crown.
[
It was rebuilt in 1440, mostly at the expense of Robert Large, who was Lord Mayor that year and is remembered as the Master of whom ]William Caxton
William Caxton () was an English merchant, diplomat and writer. He is thought to be the first person to introduce a printing press into Kingdom of England, England in 1476, and as a Printer (publishing), printer to be the first English retailer ...
served his apprenticeship. It suffered as did so many of London's churches 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 ...
of 1666 and was rebuilt by 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 ...
from 1686 to 1690.
In 1781 the parish of the church of St Christopher le Stocks, demolished to make way for an extension to the Bank of England, was united with that of St Margaret Lothbury.
Interior
The church has exceptionally fine 17th-century woodwork from other now-demolished Wren churches. Among the best are the
reredos
A reredos ( , , ) is a large altarpiece, a screen, or decoration placed behind the altar in a Church (building), church. It often includes religious images.
The term ''reredos'' may also be used for similar structures, if elaborate, in secular a ...
, communion rails and baptismal font
A baptismal font is an Church architecture, ecclesiastical architectural element, which serves as a receptacle for baptismal water used for baptism, as a part of Christian initiation for both rites of Infant baptism, infant and Believer's bapti ...
, which are thought to be by Grinling Gibbons
Grinling Gibbons (4 April 1648 – 3 August 1721) was an Anglo-Dutch sculptor and wood carver known for his work in England, including Windsor Castle, the Royal Hospital Chelsea and Hampton Court Palace, St Paul's Cathedral and other London church ...
from St Olave, Old Jewry, the pulpit sounding board
A sounding board, also known as a tester and abat-voix is a structure placed above and sometimes also behind a pulpit
A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platf ...
and the rood screen
The rood screen (also choir screen, chancel screen, or jubé) is a common feature in late medieval church architecture. It is typically an ornate partition between the chancel and nave, of more or less open tracery constructed of wood, stone, o ...
from All-Hallows-the-Great. Two paintings of Moses
In Abrahamic religions, Moses was the Hebrews, Hebrew prophet who led the Israelites out of slavery in the The Exodus, Exodus from ancient Egypt, Egypt. He is considered the most important Prophets in Judaism, prophet in Judaism and Samaritani ...
and Aaron
According to the Old Testament of the Bible, Aaron ( or ) was an Israelite prophet, a high priest, and the elder brother of Moses. Information about Aaron comes exclusively from religious texts, such as the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament ...
flank the high altar, and came from St Christopher le Stocks when it was demolished in 1781. The organ was built by George Pike England in 1801. It was restored in 1984, stands in its original case and contains nearly all its original pipework.
The church was designated a Grade I listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...
on 4 January 1950.
See also
* List of churches and cathedrals of London
* List of Christopher Wren churches in London
References
External links
St Margaret Lothbury and St Mary Woolnoth360° panorama inside St Margaret Lothbury
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Margaret Lothbury
Christopher Wren church buildings in London
English Baroque church buildings
17th-century Church of England church buildings
Church of England church buildings in the City of London
Rebuilt churches in the United Kingdom
Diocese of London
Grade I listed churches in the City of London