Today, I bring you some photographs taken a few summers ago of the ruins of Christ Church Greyfriars and the beautiful gardens around the ruins, which is located opposite St. Paul's underground in London. The Franciscan church of Greyfriars was established in 1225, and several well-known people were buried at the church, which was destroyed in 1666 by the Great Fire of London. A new church designed by Christopher Wren was built on the site, but this was destroyed by a bomb in 1940, although the tower remains undestroyed and is a feature of the gardens today. The trees form the church nave, and flower beds mark the pews. The remains of the church are a listed structure.
Several important historical figures were buried at the church, including: Marguerite of France (wife of King Edward I), Isabella (the widow of King Edward II), and Eleanor of Provence (wife of Henry III). Richard Whittington (mayor of London) founded a library at the church.
The tower (160 feet talll) had a round-arched entrance and the windows above it were decorated with pediments on which carved pineapples stood. The east and west walls had buttresses, which was unique to Christopher Wren churches. It was said that the pews were made from a wrecked Spanish galleon, and an organ dated from 1690.
A visit to the gardens is enjoyable during lunch breaks for those working in the area, and I visited here a couple of times when I worked not too far away.
This is one of London's old church ruins. Many have been completely torn down and built on with only a blue plague to mark the spot. Another similar church exists in London closer to Monument and the river, and it is St. Dustan-in-the-East (London).
Leave a comment