St. Mary Somerset was a church 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 ...

first recorded in the twelfth century. Destroyed in the

Great Fire of 1666 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 ...

, it was one of the 51 churches rebuilt by the office of

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 acc ...

. The tower is located in Upper Thames Street, the body of the church having been demolished in 1871.

History

Pre-Fire London had 14 churches named after the

Virgin Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

, six of which were rebuilt after the Fire. The derivation of ''Somerset'' is uncertain. It has been linked to Ralph de Somery, who is mentioned in records at the same time. It is also linked to Summer's Hithe, a small haven on the

Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after th ...

, the banks of which would in medieval times have been closer to the church's site. The church is first mentioned in a deed during the reign of

Richard I Richard I (8 September 1157 – 6 April 1199), known as Richard the Lionheart or Richard Cœur de Lion () because of his reputation as a great military leader and warrior, was King of England from 1189 until his death in 1199. He also ru ...

. According to

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 ...

, in 1370, the Brabant weaver community was ordered by the Mayor to meet in the churchyard of St Mary Somerset for the purpose of hiring serving men, following disputes with the

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weavers. The latter were ordered to meet a safe distance away in the churchyard of St Laurence Pountney. St Mary Somerset Wyngaerde panorama

After the Fire, the parish was combined with that of St Mary Mounthaw, which was not rebuilt. Building of the new church began in 1686 (one of the last five of the 51 to commence) and stopped in 1688 owing to the financial uncertainty associated with the

Glorious Revolution The Glorious Revolution, also known as the Revolution of 1688, was the deposition of James II and VII, James II and VII in November 1688. He was replaced by his daughter Mary II, Mary II and her Dutch husband, William III of Orange ...

. Rebuilding recommenced the next year and the church was finished in 1694, at a cost of £6579. The parish was very poor, and it was one of only two churches (the other being St. Andrew-by-the-Wardrobe) for which Wren provided funds for the furnishings from the Coal Tax. The rebuilt church was smaller than its predecessor, for a strip of land was taken by the city to widen what was then Thames Street. Bishop Gilbert Ironside, Chancellor of

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, who defied James II in upholding the rights of Fellows, was buried here in 1701. His remains and his black marble tombstone were removed to

Hereford Cathedral Hereford Cathedral, formally the , is a Church of England cathedral in Hereford, England. It is the seat of the bishop of Hereford and the principal church of the diocese of Hereford. The cathedral is a grade I listed building. A place of wors ...

in 1867. Late in the eighteenth century, the church had a reputation as Low Church. James Malcolm states in ''London Redivivum'' (1803): "When I mention that the late well-known Methodist Mr Gunn was a preacher in it on certain days, the trampled and dirty state of the church will not be wondered at." In 1805, the communion plate was stolen and never recovered. The

Bishop of Hereford The Bishop of Hereford is the Ordinary (officer), ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Hereford in the Province of Canterbury. Until 1534, the Diocese of Hereford was in full communion with the Roman Catholic Church and two of its bishop ...

was patron of the Rectory of St Mary Somerset until the mid-nineteenth century, when this was transferred to the

Bishop of London The bishop of London is the Ordinary (church officer), ordinary of the Church of England's Diocese of London in the Province of Canterbury. By custom the Bishop is also Dean of the Chapel Royal since 1723. The diocese covers of 17 boroughs o ...

. The second half of the 19th century saw a movement of population from the City of London to suburbs in

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and

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. This left many of the city churches with tiny congregations, while many of the newly built suburbs had no churches. The Union of Benefices Act 1860 was passed by Parliament, permitting the demolition of City churches and the sale of land to build churches in the suburbs. The last service at St Mary Somerset was held on 1 February 1867, with about 70 people attending. The parish was then combined with that of St Nicholas Cole Abbey, and the church was demolished in 1871. At the instigation of the architect,

Ewan Christian Ewan Christian (1814–1895) was a British architect. He is most frequently noted for the restorations of Southwell Minster and Carlisle Cathedral, and the design of the National Portrait Gallery (London), National Portrait Gallery. He was Arch ...

, the church tower was preserved. The proceeds of the sale were used to build St Mary Hoxton, which also received the church furnishings and the bell. Before the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the church tower was used as a woman's rest room. The tower now stands on a traffic island surrounded by a small landscaped garden.

The building

The Wren church was an aisleless nave with a flat roof. George Godwin described the interior as "a mere room with low whitewashed walls". Two columns supported a gallery on the west, from which was suspended a Royal coat of arms. The tower projected from the southwest. It is 120 feet high and faced with

Portland stone Portland stone is a limestone geological formation (formally named the Portland Stone Formation) dating to the Tithonian age of the Late Jurassic that is quarried on the Isle of Portland in Dorset, England. The quarries are cut in beds of whi ...

. Lines of windows, alternately circular and round-headed, run up each side, with grotesque masks and

cherub A cherub (; : cherubim; ''kərūḇ'', pl. ''kərūḇīm'') is one type of supernatural being in the Abrahamic religions. The numerous depictions of cherubim assign to them many different roles, such as protecting the entrance of the Garden of ...

s serving as keystones. The unique feature of the tower are the eight

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

pinnacles. The four on each corner have panelled bases and scrolls, surmounted by vases. Between each of these are 20-foot obelisks, with ball finials. The style strongly suggests that they are the design of

Nicholas Hawksmoor Nicholas Hawksmoor ( – 25 March 1736) was an English architect. He was a leading figure of the English Baroque style of architecture in the late-seventeenth and early-eighteenth centuries. Hawksmoor worked alongside the principal architects ...

. They create the optical illusion of changing heights when viewed from different vantage points. The pinnacles were taken down after the Second World War, due to bomb damage in the

London Blitz London is the capital and largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Western Europe, with a population of 14.9 million. London stands on the River Tha ...

, but restored by the City Corporation in 1956. The remains of the church were 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. The building is currently being refurbished and extended into a private family home by Pilbrow and Partners.

References

* * Jeffery, Paul. ''The city churches of Sir Christopher Wren'', Hambledon Press, 1996 * Cobb, Gerald. ''London city churches'', B T Batsford Ltd., 1977 * Heulin, Gordon. ''Vanished churches of the City of London'', Guildhall Library Publications, 1996 {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Mary Somerset 1694 establishments in England Churches completed in 1694 Christopher Wren church buildings in London English Baroque church buildings Churches rebuilt after the Great Fire of London but since demolished Churches in the City of London, of which only the tower remains Grade I listed churches in the City of London

History

The building

See also

References