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St Helen's Bishopsgate
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
St Helen's Bishopsgate is a large Evangelical church, in Lime Street ward, in the City of London, close to the Lloyd's building and the 'Gherkin'.
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The church dates from 1210 and contains many fifteenth and seventeenth century funerary monuments[1] It was the parish church of William Shakespeare when he lived in the area in the early 1600s[2]. It is one of only a few City churches to survive both the Great Fire of London of 1666 and The Blitz during World War II.
In 1992 and 1993, St Helen's was badly damaged by two IRA bombs that were set off nearby. The roof of the church was lifted and one of the city's largest medieval stained glass windows was shattered. Now, it has been fully restored although many of the older monuments within the churchwere entirely destroyed. Architect Quinlan Terry, an enthusiast of Georgian architecture, designed the restoration of the building along Reformation lines. Due to parish consolidation over the years, the parish is now named "St Helen Bishopsgate with St Andrew Undershaft & St Ethelburga Bishopsgate & St Martin Outwich & St Mary Axe." The Merchant Taylors' Company are the patrons of the benefice.
Details of the history of St. Helen's and the other churches in this benefice (St. Andrew's, St. Martin's Outwich etc) in the 17th century can be found in Lee Gatiss, The Tragedy of 1662: The Ejection and Persecution of the Puritans[3]
Former rectors include R. C. Lucas. The current rector is William Taylor[4].
- ^ "Churches of the City of London" Reynolds,H : London, Bodley Head, 1922
- ^ In Search of Shakespeare. Bishopsgate
- ^ Gatiss
- ^ Saint Helen's Bishopgate
