El_Greco
May 28th, 2006, 05:41 PM
St. Bride's Church
Height - 69m./226ft.
Built - 1703
Architect - Sir Christopher Wren
-
- St. Bride's Church, also known as 'the Cathedral of Fleet Street', has a rich history spanning 2,000 years and 8 different church buildings.
- The first church was built on this site in the 6th Century AD. It was dedicated to St. Bridgit or St. Bride of Kildare, the daughter of an Irish prince and a Druidic slave, born in 453 AD.
- A later medieval church was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1666, despite the church having its own fire engine. The church was so utterly destroyed that no attempt was made to re-use material in the construction of the new building, as happened at other city churches.
- St. Bride's was one of the first churches to open after the Great Fire. Sir Christopher Wren was hired as architect in 1671, and the £11,430 needed to finance the construction work was eventually raised after ongoing financial troubles.
- Construction began in 1671 and by September 1672 had reached the upper part of the cornice. The church opened for worship on 19th December 1675, but the tower remained unfinished. Work did not begin on this final stage until 1701, completing in 1703.
- St. Bride's enjoyed a long spell as one of London's most graceful churches until a Nazi fire-bomb fell on Sunday 29th December 1940, melting the bells and destroying all but the sturdy steeple.
- Following a long spell of dereliction, the church was restored to its original splendour and re-dedicated by Queen Elizabeth II in 1957. It stands today as one of the city's true survivors.
- St. Bride's also has an important American heritage. Edward Winslow, one of the Pilgrim Fathers, was married here on 4th November 1594, while the first American child of English descent, Virginia Dare, was baptised here on 18th August 1585.
- A Fleet Street baker named Mr. Rich used the design of the spire as a model for a wedding cake presented to a couple who were married in St. Bride's and this design has since provided the basis for tiered wedding cakes the world over.
- St. Bride's is also known as the journalists' church due to its siting on Fleet Street, former home to many of Britain's newspapers.
- William Caxton's assistant Wynkyn de Worde, who brought the first printing press with movable type to Fleet Street is buried in St. Bride's.
- Cited in Simon Jenkins' 'England's Thousand Best Churches'.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/El_Greco/241222.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/El_Greco/241224.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/El_Greco/373471.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/El_Greco/373474.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/El_Greco/373476.jpg
View from St Bride's
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/El_Greco/L164.jpg
Height - 69m./226ft.
Built - 1703
Architect - Sir Christopher Wren
-
- St. Bride's Church, also known as 'the Cathedral of Fleet Street', has a rich history spanning 2,000 years and 8 different church buildings.
- The first church was built on this site in the 6th Century AD. It was dedicated to St. Bridgit or St. Bride of Kildare, the daughter of an Irish prince and a Druidic slave, born in 453 AD.
- A later medieval church was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1666, despite the church having its own fire engine. The church was so utterly destroyed that no attempt was made to re-use material in the construction of the new building, as happened at other city churches.
- St. Bride's was one of the first churches to open after the Great Fire. Sir Christopher Wren was hired as architect in 1671, and the £11,430 needed to finance the construction work was eventually raised after ongoing financial troubles.
- Construction began in 1671 and by September 1672 had reached the upper part of the cornice. The church opened for worship on 19th December 1675, but the tower remained unfinished. Work did not begin on this final stage until 1701, completing in 1703.
- St. Bride's enjoyed a long spell as one of London's most graceful churches until a Nazi fire-bomb fell on Sunday 29th December 1940, melting the bells and destroying all but the sturdy steeple.
- Following a long spell of dereliction, the church was restored to its original splendour and re-dedicated by Queen Elizabeth II in 1957. It stands today as one of the city's true survivors.
- St. Bride's also has an important American heritage. Edward Winslow, one of the Pilgrim Fathers, was married here on 4th November 1594, while the first American child of English descent, Virginia Dare, was baptised here on 18th August 1585.
- A Fleet Street baker named Mr. Rich used the design of the spire as a model for a wedding cake presented to a couple who were married in St. Bride's and this design has since provided the basis for tiered wedding cakes the world over.
- St. Bride's is also known as the journalists' church due to its siting on Fleet Street, former home to many of Britain's newspapers.
- William Caxton's assistant Wynkyn de Worde, who brought the first printing press with movable type to Fleet Street is buried in St. Bride's.
- Cited in Simon Jenkins' 'England's Thousand Best Churches'.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/El_Greco/241222.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/El_Greco/241224.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/El_Greco/373471.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/El_Greco/373474.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/El_Greco/373476.jpg
View from St Bride's
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/El_Greco/L164.jpg