List of churches in London

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St. Paul's from the South
St. Paul's from the South

London is the location of many famous churches, chapels and cathedrals, in a density unmatched anywhere else in England.[citation needed]

Contents

[edit] History

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[edit] Wren

Before the Great Fire of London in 1666, the City of London had over 107 churches in an area of only one square mile (2.6 km²). Of the 86 destroyed by the Fire, 51 were rebuilt along with St Paul's Cathedral. The majority have traditionally been regarded as the work of Sir Christopher Wren, but although their rebuilding was entrusted primarily to him, the role of his various associates, including Robert Hooke and Nicholas Hawksmoor especially, is currently being reassessed and given greater emphasis.

The designs of the Wren office have provided a benchmark for church architecture ever since. Their character of pragmatism and fitness for purpose combined with a joyous inventiveness do seem to reflect Wren's personality in particular. Wren also designed a number of churches outside the City, including St James's, Piccadilly and St Clement Danes. After Wren, Hawksmoor was by common consent London's most significant church architect, being responsible in his own right for six great churches in the East End of London, of which most still stand (for example St George's Church, Bloomsbury and Christ Church, Spitalfields) .

[edit] Metropolitan area

The building of the King's Weigh House today serves as the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral of the Holy Family in Exile.
The building of the King's Weigh House today serves as the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral of the Holy Family in Exile.

London's churches are extraordinarily numerous and diverse. Most lie within the Anglican dioceses of London to the north and the Southwark to the south. For historical reasons, those parts of London north of the Thames but east of the River Lea fall within the diocese of Chelmsford. There are still some two thousand churches across the capital, of every age and style, to the design and evolution of which at least six hundred different architects have made contributions. As London expanded during the early 19th century, many new churches were built to cater for the growing urban population; the "Waterloo churches" programme, for example, saw numerous churches constructed across south London in the first half of the century.

[edit] Significance

Although many churches were entirely or partly lost to 19th-century demolitions and to bombing in the Second World War, London's remaining churches are renowned worldwide for their historical and architectural value. Today, London's greatest concentrations of historic churches and cathedrals are in the City of London and the neighbouring City of Westminster. A number of the churches are mentioned in the nursery rhyme Oranges and Lemons. Unless noted otherwise, churches in this list belong to the Anglican church.

[edit] Camden

[edit] City of London

In 1666 there were 96 parishes within the bounds of the City. Today the following continue Christian witness in one form or another in the heart of London:

[edit] Greenwich

[edit] Hackney

[edit] Haringey

  • St Anns Church, Tottenham

[edit] Hammersmith and Fulham

[edit] Islington

[edit] Kensington & Chelsea

[edit] Lambeth

[edit] Lewisham

  • Wildfell Hall, Catford

[edit] Redbridge

[edit] Southwark

[edit] Tower Hamlets

[edit] Westminster

Methodist Central Hall - The Methodist Church of Great Britain (Largest Pipe Organ in London)

[edit] Churches which do not meet in traditional Church buildings

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Growing numbers of London churches do not own their own buildings. Many meet in schools or community halls. Some of the more unusual venues include:-

  • Christ Church London meets at the Piccadilly Theatre
  • Hillsong meets at the Dominion Theatre
  • Jubilee Church, London meets in a cinema multiplex
  • Northwest church in the London Borough of Barnet meet in a school.

[edit] References

  1. ^ St Leonard, Foster Lane

[edit] External links