St Alban's church (London)

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St Alban's is a Church in Wood Street, EC2, London, dedicated to Saint Alban.

[edit] History

Some argue that it dates back to King Offa of Mercia, who is believed to have had a palace on the site which included a chapel. Offa founded an abbey also dedicated to Alban in 793 and subsequently a number of churches were dedicated to St Alban in the City of London. The accounts of the parish clerk date back to 930. In 1077 the abbot of St Albans exchanged the right of presentation of the cleric for this church for the patronage of another church belonging to the abbot of Westminster. At the time of King John the church was known as St Alban Wuderstrate.

In 1633 Inigo Jones and Sir Henry Spiller, among others, were requested to examine the church, which had fallen into disrepair, and report on its condition. It was found to be beyond repair and was demolished and rebuilt in 1634. The church was completely destroyed in the Great Fire of London. Sir Christopher Wren then rebuilt it in 1685 in the Gothic style. The parish was combined with that of St Olave's, Silver Street. The tower, in the Perpendicular style, had four elegant pinnacles which needed replacing in 1890.

The building was however burnt out and partially destroyed in 1940 during the Blitz, leaving only the tower. The parish was united with St Vedast Foster Lane in 1954 and this church then fully demolished in 1965, apart from the tower, which today remains as a private dwelling in a traffic island.

[edit] Parish records

The parish records are held at the Guildhall Library. There is a partial index to baptisms and marriages in the IGI (baptism: 1662 to 1786; marriages: 1662 to 1902; burial 1662 to 1849 - later records were destroyed by enemy action in 1940). Receipts for burial with names of deceased can be found in the churchwardens' accounts 1584-1636. Other partial records do exist in may sources.