Sidney's Place: THE CITY OF LONDON CHURCHES (9): Upper Thames Street and the River

[This is the ninth of 10 articles briefly describing the 39 functioning historic Anglican churches in the City of London]

Upper Thames Street is a modern road by-passing the City centre attracting heavy, noisy traffic. It cuts through historic parts of the City near the River Thames and leaves some excellent City churches rather isolated. Here I describe St Michael Paternoster Royal, St James Garlickhythe, St Andrew by the Wardrobe and St Benet Pauls Wharf

St Michael Paternoster Royal

St Michael Paternoster Royal (the name is a confused corruption of rosary sellers and wine merchants) has been the site of a church since the 13^th century. It has connections with Richard Whittington (1364-1423), four times Lord Mayor of London, who founded a nearby college and was buried here. As legendary Dick Whittington and his fabulous Cat, hero of many a pantomime, a poor man from Gloucestershire, young Dick was supposed to have turned back to London on hearing Bow Bells and then making his fortune.

Rebuilt after the Fire by Wren in 1694, the tower and spire are its most remarkable features – in Betjeman’s words “a round colonnaded temple with round urns on it, a middle stage with curling corbels, more urns and a round turret supporting a vane”

The Baroque interior gives little pleasure as it is half-partitioned into offices for the Anglican Mission to Seamen.

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A little further west takes us to St James Garlickhythe, named after a medieval river wharf nearby where garlic was landed from France. Being dedicated to St James, it was a stop on the great pilgrimage route to his shrine at Santiago de Compostella. The medieval church was destroyed in the Fire and the new church was designed by Wren in 1684. Its most striking feature, as in nearby St Michael Paternoster Royal, is its very fine Tower built rather later by Nicholas Hawksmoor in 1717. Before the embankments were built in Victorian times, the Thames was much wider and the river ambiance of this area would have been much more pronounced.

St James Garlickhythe

The church has strong links with 11 Livery Companies like the Vintners, Glassmakers and the Joiners and the replica clock at the west door, with the figure of St James above it is a gift from one such Company. The interior of the church is high and airy and the clear glass brought in so much light it was known as “Wren’s Lantern”. There is a fine pulpit, intricate woodwork and a well-wrought sword rest within this spacious and beautifully restored church.

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Walking down 19^th century Queen Victoria Street takes you to St Andrew-by-the-Wardrobe, in earlier times an area of densely packed shops; nearby stood a royal depository, known as the Wardrobe. All was destroyed by the Great Fire and Wren rebuilt in 1691.The Blitz flattened the surrounding area and St Andrew has a prominent elevated position, as you climb a steepish flight of steps to enter.

St Andrew-by-the-Wardrobe

Yet the fine position is rather wasted. The neighbouring St Nicholas Cole Abbey had in the 1890s a congregation of precisely one person and I always feel St Andrew is similarly deserted. The restored Baroque interior is pleasant enough but the area is unpromising. Nearby stands the swish new head office of the Salvation Army and a neighbouring building hosts the Church of Scientology advertising the effusions of C Ron Hubbard. It is not Anglican country: St Andrew in kindly desperation plays host every Sunday to the St Gregorios congregation of the Indian Orthodox Church.

St Andrew epitomises the dilemma of the Church of England: what to do with its incomparable legacy of historic buildings, for ages maintained heroically with no demands on the taxpayer. Can it last?

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My final church is also something of a curiosity. St Benet Pauls Wharf is a remarkable survivor, untouched by the Blitz and pure Wren externally and inside from 1685. It is brick built with attractive garlands carved over the windows and has a Dutch look. The church has for over 500 years been associated with the College of Arms, the nearby centre for Heraldry, once a very important activity. The great architect Inigo Jones was buried here .in 1652.

The church is the preserve of Welsh-speaking Episcopalians, which must be a very select band indeed.

I visited the church interior in the 1970s but do not remember it well. I have tried to visit several times since, most recently 2 weeks ago, but it is always locked. It suffered arson and vandalism in the 1970s and its opening hours are very limited.

I set out below a contemporary photo of the interior, which looks rather fine.