St. Michael Bassishaw
Encyclopedia
St. Michael Bassishaw was a church in the City of London
located on Basinghall Street
, on land now covered by the Barbican Centre
complex. Recorded since the 12th century, the church was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1666, then rebuilt by the office of Sir Christopher Wren. The rebuilt church was demolished in 1900.
The earliest surviving reference to the church is in a deed of 1196, as “St Michael de Bassishaghe”.
A 14th century parish priest of St Michael’s, by the name of William, dug a ditch outside the church to assert his right of way. He was obliged by civic authorities to fill it in again.
In 1662, Francis Hall - a chaplain to Charles II - was appointed Rector. He fled the parish upon the outbreak of the Great Plague of London
in 1665, and returned only in 1670 to collect his stipend. His substitute, a priest called Williams, succumbed to the plague in September 1665, along with this wife and three children.
Excavations in the late 19th century and again, in 1965, showed that the north wall of the 12th century church had been built over Roman and medieval rubbish pits, so had to be strengthened by buttresses.
The church was rebuilt in the 15th century and restored in 1630. All was lost in the Great Fire of 1666.
Rebuilding began in 1675 and completed 4 years’ later. The work was unsatisfactory. The contractor, John Fitch, encountered problems with the foundations on the east end, so removed them and piled the ground. The walls were faced with brick, instead of the usual stone and the load-bearing Corinthian columns were described as ‘specimens of…jerry-building…made up of several sorts of materials and plastered over.’ By 1693, the parish was lobbying Wren to provide resources for repairs. By the turn of the century, the church was being shored up and in need of repair. This was undertaken in 1713, when the upper parts of the walls were taken down and rebuilt, the slate roof replaced with a lead roof and a steeple added. Total cost of rebuilding was £5704.
In the late 19th century, sanitary regulations obliged authorities to remove the human remains from St. Michael’s crypt. This revealed the weakness of the foundations. In 1892, the church was judged unsafe and the parish combined with that of St Lawrence Jewry
. St. Michael Bassishaw was demolished in 1900 and the land sold to the City for £36,000. Part of the proceeds were used to build St. Michael Bassishaw in Edmonton
. This was made redundant in 1992 and now contains flats.
Today the site previously occupied by St. Michael’s is covered by the courtyard of the Guildhall offices and the Barbican highwalk.
The tower was to the west of the church. The steeple, probably designed by Robert Hooke
, took the form of an octagonal drum surmounted by a lantern, from which emerged a trumpet shaped cone. On top of this was a ball and finial, now perched on the spire of St Andrew-by-the-Wardrobe.
The plaster coat of arms in St. Michael Bassishaw – the grandest of those in any Wren church – can now be found in the Guildhall complex.
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...
located on Basinghall Street
Basinghall Street
Basinghall Street is a street in the City of London, England. It today lies chiefly in the ward of Bassishaw with the southern end in Cheap and Coleman Street wards...
, on land now covered by the Barbican Centre
Barbican Centre
The Barbican Centre is the largest performing arts centre in Europe. Located in the City of London, England, the Centre hosts classical and contemporary music concerts, theatre performances, film screenings and art exhibitions. It also houses a library, three restaurants, and a conservatory...
complex. Recorded since the 12th century, the church was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1666, then rebuilt by the office of Sir Christopher Wren. The rebuilt church was demolished in 1900.
History
St. Michael Bassishaw was one of 7 churches in the City of London dedicated to the Archangel Michael. ‘Bassishaw’ comes from Basing’s haw, Basing being the name of a prominent family in medieval London and ‘haw’ meaning yard.The earliest surviving reference to the church is in a deed of 1196, as “St Michael de Bassishaghe”.
A 14th century parish priest of St Michael’s, by the name of William, dug a ditch outside the church to assert his right of way. He was obliged by civic authorities to fill it in again.
In 1662, Francis Hall - a chaplain to Charles II - was appointed Rector. He fled the parish upon the outbreak of the Great Plague of London
Great Plague of London
The Great Plague was a massive outbreak of disease in the Kingdom of England that killed an estimated 100,000 people, 20% of London's population. The disease is identified as bubonic plague, an infection by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, transmitted through a flea vector...
in 1665, and returned only in 1670 to collect his stipend. His substitute, a priest called Williams, succumbed to the plague in September 1665, along with this wife and three children.
Excavations in the late 19th century and again, in 1965, showed that the north wall of the 12th century church had been built over Roman and medieval rubbish pits, so had to be strengthened by buttresses.
The church was rebuilt in the 15th century and restored in 1630. All was lost in the Great Fire of 1666.
Rebuilding began in 1675 and completed 4 years’ later. The work was unsatisfactory. The contractor, John Fitch, encountered problems with the foundations on the east end, so removed them and piled the ground. The walls were faced with brick, instead of the usual stone and the load-bearing Corinthian columns were described as ‘specimens of…jerry-building…made up of several sorts of materials and plastered over.’ By 1693, the parish was lobbying Wren to provide resources for repairs. By the turn of the century, the church was being shored up and in need of repair. This was undertaken in 1713, when the upper parts of the walls were taken down and rebuilt, the slate roof replaced with a lead roof and a steeple added. Total cost of rebuilding was £5704.
In the late 19th century, sanitary regulations obliged authorities to remove the human remains from St. Michael’s crypt. This revealed the weakness of the foundations. In 1892, the church was judged unsafe and the parish combined with that of St Lawrence Jewry
St Lawrence Jewry
St Lawrence Jewry is a Church of England guild church in the City of London on Gresham Street, next to the Guildhall.-History:The church was originally built in the twelfth century and dedicated to St Lawrence The church is near the former medieval Jewish ghetto, which was centred...
. St. Michael Bassishaw was demolished in 1900 and the land sold to the City for £36,000. Part of the proceeds were used to build St. Michael Bassishaw in Edmonton
Edmonton, London
Edmonton is an area in the east of the London Borough of Enfield, England, north-north-east of Charing Cross. It has a long history as a settlement distinct from Enfield.-Location:...
. This was made redundant in 1992 and now contains flats.
Today the site previously occupied by St. Michael’s is covered by the courtyard of the Guildhall offices and the Barbican highwalk.
Architecture
The plan for St. Michael’s was irregular, being smaller than the pre-Fire church. The main front was on the east, facing Basinghall Street and was unadorned, except for a large round headed window flanked by two round windows.The tower was to the west of the church. The steeple, probably designed by Robert Hooke
Robert Hooke
Robert Hooke FRS was an English natural philosopher, architect and polymath.His adult life comprised three distinct periods: as a scientific inquirer lacking money; achieving great wealth and standing through his reputation for hard work and scrupulous honesty following the great fire of 1666, but...
, took the form of an octagonal drum surmounted by a lantern, from which emerged a trumpet shaped cone. On top of this was a ball and finial, now perched on the spire of St Andrew-by-the-Wardrobe.
The plaster coat of arms in St. Michael Bassishaw – the grandest of those in any Wren church – can now be found in the Guildhall complex.
See also
- List of Christopher Wren churches in London
- List of churches rebuilt after the Great Fire but since demolished