St. Bride's Church, London

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'.

View from St Bride's

***wjfox*** · May 28th, 2006, 06:08 PM

Best church spire in London.

An utterly fabulous building.

10/10

GazKinz · May 28th, 2006, 07:46 PM

^ Agreed 10/10, amazing church

El_Greco · May 28th, 2006, 10:03 PM

my favourite church in the city 10.

Skid-Mark · June 13th, 2006, 12:42 PM

Beautiful spire, looks in need of attention though. 9

potto · June 13th, 2006, 02:28 PM

Its a bit tucked away and forgotten, but in skyline terms it really adds 500% Shame more modern buildings dont have the same impact

El_Greco · December 31st, 2006, 11:28 PM

Not mine.

van heckler · January 1st, 2007, 12:42 PM

I love it, with a clean it would get a 10, but as it's so dirty it's only getting a 9 from me.

Monters · January 4th, 2007, 01:45 AM

v v cool

9/10

Mr Bricks · January 4th, 2007, 01:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by El_Greco

[/IMG]

Stunning!

Very spooky...

oscar9 · January 5th, 2007, 05:29 PM

Its very nice but not great enough for a ten. 8/10

henry hill · August 8th, 2009, 01:51 AM

9/10 !

May 28th, 2006, 05:41 PM	#1
El_Greco I Like Palm Trees Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: London Posts: 16,758 Likes (Received): 272	St. Bride's Church, London 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'. View from St Bride's __________________ My Photos : Lisbon\|Madrid\|Rome\|Naples\|London\|Rotterdam\|Fes

May 28th, 2006, 10:03 PM	#4
El_Greco I Like Palm Trees Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: London Posts: 16,758 Likes (Received): 272	my favourite church in the city 10. __________________ My Photos : Lisbon\|Madrid\|Rome\|Naples\|London\|Rotterdam\|Fes

December 31st, 2006, 11:28 PM	#7
El_Greco I Like Palm Trees Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: London Posts: 16,758 Likes (Received): 272	Not mine. __________________ My Photos : Lisbon\|Madrid\|Rome\|Naples\|London\|Rotterdam\|Fes

January 4th, 2007, 01:45 AM	#9
Monters Modernist Glory Boy Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 481 Likes (Received): 0	v v cool 9/10 __________________ I despise antimodernism. All hail the Smithsons! All hail Erno Goldfinger! All hail Auguste Perret!

August 8th, 2009, 01:51 AM	#12
henry hill Registered User Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 22,982 Likes (Received): 3	9/10 ! __________________

View Poll Results:
10	7	38.89%
9	7	38.89%
8	3	16.67%
7	0	0%
6	0	0%
5	0	0%
4	0	0%
3	0	0%
2	0	0%
1	1	5.56%
Voters: 18. You may not vote on this poll

May 28th, 2006, 06:08 PM	#2
*wjfox* Moderator Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: L O N D O N Posts: 36,218 Likes (Received): 937	Best church spire in London. An utterly fabulous building. 10/10

May 28th, 2006, 07:46 PM	#3
GazKinz Registered User Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Camden Town Posts: 2,185 Likes (Received): 0	^ Agreed 10/10, amazing church

June 13th, 2006, 02:28 PM	#6
potto Registered User Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: London Posts: 13,508 Likes (Received): 257	Its a bit tucked away and forgotten, but in skyline terms it really adds 500% Shame more modern buildings dont have the same impact

January 1st, 2007, 12:42 PM	#8
van heckler Registered User Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Wolverhampton/Birmingham Posts: 2,725 Likes (Received): 3	I love it, with a clean it would get a 10, but as it's so dirty it's only getting a 9 from me.

January 5th, 2007, 05:29 PM	#11
oscar9 Registered User Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 3,254 Likes (Received): 39	Its very nice but not great enough for a ten. 8/10

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