All Hallows-on-the-Wall
Encyclopedia
All Hallows-on-the-Wall is a Church of England
church located in the City of London
. It is situated adjacent to London Wall
, the former city wall, at Broad Street.
in 1767, replacing an earlier church built some time in the early 12th century on a bastion of the old Roman
wall. It became renowned for its hermit
s, who lived in cells in the church. All Hallows escaped destruction in the Great Fire of London
in 1666 due to its position under the wall, but subsequently fell into dereliction.
Dance rebuilt the church when he was only 24 years old. He had recently returned from Italy
where he had conducted detailed studies of Classical
buildings. The new All Hallows took its inspiration from the Classical world and was remarkably simple in form, with no aisles; its interior consists solely of a barrel-vaulted nave
with a half-dome apse
at the far end, with decoration deriving from the ancient Temple of Venus and Rome in the city of Rome
. Attached Ionic columns support a frieze, rather than the usual entablature. The exterior is plain and of brick, except for the stone- faced tower above the porch at the west end.
All Hallows was damaged during the Second World War but was restored in the early 1960s. It is a guild church associated with the Worshipful Company of Carpenters
, which has held its annual elections in the church for over 600 years. Until 1994, it was the headquarters of the Council for the Care of Churches. It is still occasionally used for services. It is now the home for a number of charitable organisations.
The church was designated a Grade I listed building on 4 January 1950.
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
church located in the City of London
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
. It is situated adjacent to London Wall
London Wall
London Wall was the defensive wall first built by the Romans around Londinium, their strategically important port town on the River Thames in what is now the United Kingdom, and subsequently maintained until the 18th century. It is now the name of a road in the City of London running along part of...
, the former city wall, at Broad Street.
History
The present church was constructed by George Dance the YoungerGeorge Dance the Younger
George Dance the Younger was an English architect and surveyor. The fifth and youngest son of George Dance the Elder, he came from a distinguished family of architects, artists and dramatists...
in 1767, replacing an earlier church built some time in the early 12th century on a bastion of the old Roman
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
wall. It became renowned for its hermit
Hermit
A hermit is a person who lives, to some degree, in seclusion from society.In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Christian who lives the eremitic life out of a religious conviction, namely the Desert Theology of the Old Testament .In the...
s, who lived in cells in the church. All Hallows escaped destruction in the Great Fire of London
Great Fire of London
The Great Fire of London was a major conflagration that swept through the central parts of the English city of London, from Sunday, 2 September to Wednesday, 5 September 1666. The fire gutted the medieval City of London inside the old Roman City Wall...
in 1666 due to its position under the wall, but subsequently fell into dereliction.
Dance rebuilt the church when he was only 24 years old. He had recently returned from Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
where he had conducted detailed studies of Classical
Classical architecture
Classical architecture is a mode of architecture employing vocabulary derived in part from the Greek and Roman architecture of classical antiquity, enriched by classicizing architectural practice in Europe since the Renaissance...
buildings. The new All Hallows took its inspiration from the Classical world and was remarkably simple in form, with no aisles; its interior consists solely of a barrel-vaulted nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
with a half-dome apse
Apse
In architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...
at the far end, with decoration deriving from the ancient Temple of Venus and Rome in the city of Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. Attached Ionic columns support a frieze, rather than the usual entablature. The exterior is plain and of brick, except for the stone- faced tower above the porch at the west end.
All Hallows was damaged during the Second World War but was restored in the early 1960s. It is a guild church associated with the Worshipful Company of Carpenters
Worshipful Company of Carpenters
The Worshipful Company of Carpenters is one of the Livery Companies of the City of London. The Carpenters were traditionally different from a fellow wood-crafting company, the Joiners' and Ceilers' Company, in that the Carpenters utilised nails while the Joiners used adhesives to attach wood.The...
, which has held its annual elections in the church for over 600 years. Until 1994, it was the headquarters of the Council for the Care of Churches. It is still occasionally used for services. It is now the home for a number of charitable organisations.
The church was designated a Grade I listed building on 4 January 1950.
External links
- All Hallows-on-the-Wall website
- Location map (Multimap.com)