St Botolph-without-Bishopsgate
Encyclopedia
St Botolph-without-Bishopsgate is a Church of England
church in the City of London
, first mentioned in 1212 and dedicated to St Botolph.
The nearest London Underground station is Liverpool Street.
, outside where the former gate stood, near Liverpool Street station
. Adjoining the buildings is a substantial churchyard — running along the back of Wormwood Street
, the former course of London Wall
— and a former school. The church is linked with the Worshipful Company of Bowyers
.
Christian worship on this site may have Roman origins, though this is not fully proven. The present church (the fourth on the site) was completed by George Dance the Elder
in 1725, the previous one having survived the Great Fire of London
in 1666 only to be demolished in the eighteenth century. During construction, the foundations of the original Anglo-Saxon Church were discovered.
To provide a striking façade towards Bishopsgate, the architect placed the tower at the east end, its ground floor, with a pediment on the exterior, forming the chancel. The east end and tower are faced with stone, while the rest of the church is brick, with stone dressings.
The infant son of the playwright Ben Jonson
is buried in the churchyard, and baptisms in this church include Edward Alleyn
in 1566 and John Keats
(in the present font) in 1795. At one point the satirist and essayist Stephen Gosson
was rector
.
By permission of the Rector, the Antiochian Orthodox Church
worships there.
The church was designated a Grade II* listed building on 4 January 1950. Within the churchyard, the church hall is the Grade II, former Hall of the Worshipful Company of Fan Makers. It is a single storied classical red brick and Portland stone
building, with niches containing painted figures of charity children.
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 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...
, first mentioned in 1212 and dedicated to St Botolph.
The nearest London Underground station is Liverpool Street.
History
The church is on the west side of BishopsgateBishopsgate
Bishopsgate is a road and ward in the northeast part of the City of London, extending north from Gracechurch Street to Norton Folgate. It is named after one of the original seven gates in London Wall...
, outside where the former gate stood, near Liverpool Street station
Liverpool Street station
Liverpool Street railway station, also known as London Liverpool Street or simply Liverpool Street, is both a central London railway terminus and a connected London Underground station in the north-eastern corner of the City of London, England...
. Adjoining the buildings is a substantial churchyard — running along the back of Wormwood Street
Wormwood Street
Wormwood Street is a street in the City of London which connects the London Wall thoroughfare with Bishopsgate. The name refers to a plant called wormwood which used to grow on London Wall and in other areas of waste land in the City...
, the former course of 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...
— and a former school. The church is linked with the Worshipful Company of Bowyers
Worshipful Company of Bowyers
The Worshipful Company of Bowyers is one of the Livery Companies of the City of London, England.- History :Originally, the Bowyers and Fletchers formed one organisation. However, in 1371, the Fletchers petitioned the Lord Mayor of the City of London to divide into their own Company.The actual...
.
Christian worship on this site may have Roman origins, though this is not fully proven. The present church (the fourth on the site) was completed by George Dance the Elder
George Dance the Elder
George Dance the Elder was an English architect of the 18th century. He served as the City of London surveyor and architect from 1735 until his death....
in 1725, the previous one having survived 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 only to be demolished in the eighteenth century. During construction, the foundations of the original Anglo-Saxon Church were discovered.
To provide a striking façade towards Bishopsgate, the architect placed the tower at the east end, its ground floor, with a pediment on the exterior, forming the chancel. The east end and tower are faced with stone, while the rest of the church is brick, with stone dressings.
The infant son of the playwright Ben Jonson
Ben Jonson
Benjamin Jonson was an English Renaissance dramatist, poet and actor. A contemporary of William Shakespeare, he is best known for his satirical plays, particularly Volpone, The Alchemist, and Bartholomew Fair, which are considered his best, and his lyric poems...
is buried in the churchyard, and baptisms in this church include Edward Alleyn
Edward Alleyn
Edward Alleyn was an English actor who was a major figure of the Elizabethan theatre and founder of Dulwich College and Alleyn's School.-Early life:...
in 1566 and John Keats
John Keats
John Keats was an English Romantic poet. Along with Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley, he was one of the key figures in the second generation of the Romantic movement, despite the fact that his work had been in publication for only four years before his death.Although his poems were not...
(in the present font) in 1795. At one point the satirist and essayist Stephen Gosson
Stephen Gosson
Stephen Gosson was an English satirist.He was baptized at St George's church, Canterbury, on 17 April 1554. He entered Corpus Christi College, Oxford, 1572, and on leaving the university in 1576 he went to London...
was rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
.
By permission of the Rector, the Antiochian Orthodox Church
Antiochian Orthodox Church
The Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch, also known as the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East and the Antiochian Orthodox Church , is an autocephalous Greek Orthodox Church within the wider communion of Orthodox Christianity...
worships there.
The church was designated a Grade II* listed building on 4 January 1950. Within the churchyard, the church hall is the Grade II, former Hall of the Worshipful Company of Fan Makers. It is a single storied classical red brick and Portland stone
Portland stone
Portland stone is a limestone from the Tithonian stage of the Jurassic period quarried on the Isle of Portland, Dorset. The quarries consist of beds of white-grey limestone separated by chert beds. It has been used extensively as a building stone throughout the British Isles, notably in major...
building, with niches containing painted figures of charity children.