St. Michael Paternoster Royal
Encyclopedia
St Michael Paternoster Royal is a church in the City of London
associated with the historical Dick Whittington. First recorded in the 13th century, St Michael’s was destroyed in the Great Fire of London
in 1666 and rebuilt by the office of Sir Christopher Wren. St Michael’s was severely damaged by German bombers
during the London Blitz of the Second World War and was restored in 1966 – 8.
, all but one (St Michael le Querne) of which were rebuilt after the Fire. The earliest record of St Michael’s is as St Michael of Paternosterchierch and is dated 1219. The suffix comes from its location on Paternoster Lane, (now College Hill), which, in turn was named after the sellers of paternosters - or rosaries - based there. The suffix Royal is first recorded in the next century and refers to another nearby street, now vanished, called Le Ryole, which was a corruption of La Reole, a town near Bordeaux
. This street was so named due to the presence of many wine merchants.
A neighbour in the early 15th century was Richard Whittington
, four times Mayor of London
. One of his earlier philanthropic acts, made in 1409, was to pay for the rebuilding and extension of St Michael Paternoster Royal after a vacant plot of land was acquired in Le Ryole. He later founded the College of St Spirit and St Mary within the church, so that St Michael's became a collegiate church
, i.e. it was administered by a college of priests, in this case five, instead of a rector. It was commonly called Whittington's College or Whittington College. Next door to the church, Whittington founded an almshouse
. The college was dissolved
by Edward VI
in 1548; but was re-established in some form a few years later under Queen Mary
. The title seems in any case to have persisted for the church, giving the names of College Street, and College Hill. The almshouses moved to Highgate
in 1808 and to their present location in East Grinstead
in 1966.
Whittington was buried in St Michael’s in 1423 on the south side of the altar near his wife, Alice. John Stow
records that Whittington’s body was dug up by the rector, Thomas Mountain, during the reign of Edward VI
, in the belief that he had been buried with treasure. He was not, so Mountain took his leaden shroud. The grave was dug up again during the reign of Mary I
and his body recovered in lead. An attempt to find his grave in 1949 did uncover a mummified cat, but no Lord Mayor.
Other worthies buried in the pre-Fire church were William Oldhall
(d.1459) speaker of the House of Commons, Lord Mayors John Yonge (d.1466) and William Bayley (d.1524), Peter Blundell
(d.1601) founder of Blundell's School
, (mentioned in the novel Lorna Doone
) and the Cavalier poet John Cleveland
(d.1658).
After the church’s destruction in the Fire, the parish was united with that of St Martin Vintry
, also destroyed but not rebuilt. Construction of the new church began in 1685 (one of the last of the 51 churches to be rebuilt) and stopped in 1688 owing to the financial uncertainty associated with the Glorious Revolution
. Building began again the next year and finished in 1694. The steeple was built between 1713 and 1717. The total cost of the rebuilding was £8937.
A monument to another Lord Mayor, Sir Samuel Pennant, sculpted by Michael Rysback, survives from 1750. He died from jail fever caught from prisoners in the dock.
St Michael’s underwent a number of renovations in the 19th century, by James Elmes
in 1820, William Butterfield
in 1866 and Ewan Christian
in 1894. Their work was lost on July 23, 1944 when the church was hit by a V1
flying bomb, leaving only the walls and tower.
Services continued in the shell until 1955. A proposal by the diocese to demolish the walls and preserve the tower only was successfully opposed by the City Corporation, and the church restored by Elidir Davies between 1966 and 1968. It was the last City church to be restored. St Michael’s was opened by the Duke of Edinburgh
on December 19, 1968 as Headquarters of the Mission to Seamen (now Mission to Seafarers
), an Anglican organisation that supports chaplains in ports around the world.
St Michael Paternoster Royal is also a chapel under the Bishop of London.
and has six round-headed windows with cherub keystones. The less prominent north and east fronts are of brick. The roof is balustraded.
Entrance is through the tower in the south west corner. This has a round headed window at the lowest level, then a circular window, then a square headed belfry window. At the top is a pierced parapet with square urns on the corners. The stone spire was designed by Nicholas Hawksmoor
and is similar to those of St Stephen Walbrook
, St James Garlickhythe
and, to a lesser extent, the west towers of St Paul’s Cathedral. It is an open octagon formed by eight Ionic columns, each with its own entablature
and topped by an urn. Above this is another, smaller, octagon with another eight columns with urns. Above the second octagon is a tiny dome surmounted by a pennant vane. The height of the tower and steeple is 128 ft.
The church was designated a Grade I listed building on 4 January 1950.
The chapel is housed in the larger, eastern, part of the church. In the east wall are 3 stained glass windows designed by John Hayward in 1968. The main window depicts St Michael trampling a red-winged Satan. The windows on either side show the Virgin Mary with the infant Jesus and Adam and Eve with St Gabriel and the serpent. On the south wall, another stained glass window depicts Dick Whittington with his cat http://www.bbc.co.uk/legacies/myths_legends/england/london/index.shtml.
The reredos is original, with four Corinthian columns and 2 flaming urns. Before it are 17th century Baroque statues of Moses
and Aaron
, moved here from All-Hallows-the-Great
on that church’s demolition in 1894. The statues’ hands were blown off in the War and have been replaced. Moses previously held a pointer, indicating the Decalogue, while Aaron held a censor. He now raises his hands in a blessing.
Also from All-Hallows-the-Great is the elaborate chandelier, marked ‘Birmingham 1644’. The organ case is a replica of the 1749 organ case taken from All-Hallows-the-Great but destroyed in the War. It houses a Noel Mander organ. In front of the organ gallery is a coat of arms of William III
.
The pulpit, communion rails and lectern date from the 17th century, but the rest of the woodwork was made in the 1960s.
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...
associated with the historical Dick Whittington. First recorded in the 13th century, St Michael’s was destroyed 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 and rebuilt by the office of Sir Christopher Wren. St Michael’s was severely damaged by German bombers
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
during the London Blitz of the Second World War and was restored in 1966 – 8.
History
Pre-Fire London had seven churches dedicated to the Archangel MichaelMichael (archangel)
Michael , Micha'el or Mîkhā'ēl; , Mikhaḗl; or Míchaël; , Mīkhā'īl) is an archangel in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic teachings. Roman Catholics, Anglicans, and Lutherans refer to him as Saint Michael the Archangel and also simply as Saint Michael...
, all but one (St Michael le Querne) of which were rebuilt after the Fire. The earliest record of St Michael’s is as St Michael of Paternosterchierch and is dated 1219. The suffix comes from its location on Paternoster Lane, (now College Hill), which, in turn was named after the sellers of paternosters - or rosaries - based there. The suffix Royal is first recorded in the next century and refers to another nearby street, now vanished, called Le Ryole, which was a corruption of La Reole, a town near Bordeaux
Bordeaux
Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...
. This street was so named due to the presence of many wine merchants.
A neighbour in the early 15th century was Richard Whittington
Richard Whittington
Sir Richard Whittington was a medieval merchant and politician, and the real-life inspiration for the pantomime character Dick Whittington. Sir Richard Whittington was four times Lord Mayor of London, a Member of Parliament and a sheriff of London...
, four times Mayor of London
Mayor of London
The Mayor of London is an elected politician who, along with the London Assembly of 25 members, is accountable for the strategic government of Greater London. Conservative Boris Johnson has held the position since 4 May 2008...
. One of his earlier philanthropic acts, made in 1409, was to pay for the rebuilding and extension of St Michael Paternoster Royal after a vacant plot of land was acquired in Le Ryole. He later founded the College of St Spirit and St Mary within the church, so that St Michael's became a collegiate church
Collegiate church
In Christianity, a collegiate church is a church where the daily office of worship is maintained by a college of canons; a non-monastic, or "secular" community of clergy, organised as a self-governing corporate body, which may be presided over by a dean or provost...
, i.e. it was administered by a college of priests, in this case five, instead of a rector. It was commonly called Whittington's College or Whittington College. Next door to the church, Whittington founded an almshouse
Almshouse
Almshouses are charitable housing provided to enable people to live in a particular community...
. The college was dissolved
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
by Edward VI
Edward VI of England
Edward VI was the King of England and Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death. He was crowned on 20 February at the age of nine. The son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour, Edward was the third monarch of the Tudor dynasty and England's first monarch who was raised as a Protestant...
in 1548; but was re-established in some form a few years later under Queen Mary
Mary I of England
Mary I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from July 1553 until her death.She was the only surviving child born of the ill-fated marriage of Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon. Her younger half-brother, Edward VI, succeeded Henry in 1547...
. The title seems in any case to have persisted for the church, giving the names of College Street, and College Hill. The almshouses moved to Highgate
Highgate
Highgate is an area of North London on the north-eastern corner of Hampstead Heath.Highgate is one of the most expensive London suburbs in which to live. It has an active conservation body, the Highgate Society, to protect its character....
in 1808 and to their present location in East Grinstead
East Grinstead
East Grinstead is a town and civil parish in the northeastern corner of Mid Sussex, West Sussex in England near the East Sussex, Surrey, and Kent borders. It lies south of London, north northeast of Brighton, and east northeast of the county town of Chichester...
in 1966.
Whittington was buried in St Michael’s in 1423 on the south side of the altar near his wife, Alice. John Stow
John Stow
John Stow was an English historian and antiquarian.-Early life:The son of Thomas Stow, a tallow-chandler, he was born about 1525 in London, in the parish of St Michael, Cornhill. His father's whole rent for his house and garden was only 6s. 6d. a year, and Stow in his youth fetched milk every...
records that Whittington’s body was dug up by the rector, Thomas Mountain, during the reign of Edward VI
Edward VI of England
Edward VI was the King of England and Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death. He was crowned on 20 February at the age of nine. The son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour, Edward was the third monarch of the Tudor dynasty and England's first monarch who was raised as a Protestant...
, in the belief that he had been buried with treasure. He was not, so Mountain took his leaden shroud. The grave was dug up again during the reign of Mary I
Mary I of England
Mary I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from July 1553 until her death.She was the only surviving child born of the ill-fated marriage of Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon. Her younger half-brother, Edward VI, succeeded Henry in 1547...
and his body recovered in lead. An attempt to find his grave in 1949 did uncover a mummified cat, but no Lord Mayor.
Other worthies buried in the pre-Fire church were William Oldhall
William Oldhall
Sir William Oldhall was an English soldier and Yorkist supporter, who served as Speaker of the House of Commons of England between 1450-51.-Life:...
(d.1459) speaker of the House of Commons, Lord Mayors John Yonge (d.1466) and William Bayley (d.1524), Peter Blundell
Peter Blundell
Peter Blundell was a prosperous clothier, trading between Tiverton and London. He died in April 1601, never having married and with no known issue. On his death, he left over £32,000 cash to fellow clothiers and their families, his employees, created several charitable trusts, and gave £2400 to...
(d.1601) founder of Blundell's School
Blundell's School
Blundell's School is a co-educational day and boarding independent school located in the town of Tiverton in the county of Devon, England. The school was founded in 1604 by the will of Peter Blundell, one of the richest men in England at the time, and relocated to its present location on the...
, (mentioned in the novel Lorna Doone
Lorna Doone
Lorna Doone: A Romance of Exmoor is a novel by Richard Doddridge Blackmore. It is a romance based on a group of historical characters and set in the late 17th century in Devon and Somerset, particularly around the East Lyn Valley area of Exmoor....
) and the Cavalier poet John Cleveland
John Cleveland
John Cleveland was an English poet.The son of an usher in a charity school, Cleveland was born in Loughborough, and educated at Hinckley Grammar School. Admitted to Christ's College, Cambridge, he graduated BA in 1632 and became a fellow of St John's College in 1634...
(d.1658).
After the church’s destruction in the Fire, the parish was united with that of St Martin Vintry
St Martin Vintry
St Martin Vintry was a parish church in the Vintry ward of the City of London, England. It was destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666 and never rebuilt.-History:...
, also destroyed but not rebuilt. Construction of the new church began in 1685 (one of the last of the 51 churches to be rebuilt) and stopped in 1688 owing to the financial uncertainty associated with the Glorious Revolution
Glorious Revolution
The Glorious Revolution, also called the Revolution of 1688, is the overthrow of King James II of England by a union of English Parliamentarians with the Dutch stadtholder William III of Orange-Nassau...
. Building began again the next year and finished in 1694. The steeple was built between 1713 and 1717. The total cost of the rebuilding was £8937.
A monument to another Lord Mayor, Sir Samuel Pennant, sculpted by Michael Rysback, survives from 1750. He died from jail fever caught from prisoners in the dock.
St Michael’s underwent a number of renovations in the 19th century, by James Elmes
James Elmes
James Elmes was an English architect, civil engineer, and writer on the arts.-Biography:...
in 1820, William Butterfield
William Butterfield
William Butterfield was a Gothic Revival architect and associated with the Oxford Movement . He is noted for his use of polychromy-Biography:...
in 1866 and Ewan Christian
Ewan Christian
Ewan Christian was a British architect. He is most notable for the restoration of Carlisle Cathedral, the alterations to Christ Church, Spitalfields in 1866, and the extension to the National Gallery that created the National Portrait Gallery. He was architect to the Ecclesiastical Commissioners...
in 1894. Their work was lost on July 23, 1944 when the church was hit by a V1
V-1 flying bomb
The V-1 flying bomb, also known as the Buzz Bomb or Doodlebug, was an early pulse-jet-powered predecessor of the cruise missile....
flying bomb, leaving only the walls and tower.
Services continued in the shell until 1955. A proposal by the diocese to demolish the walls and preserve the tower only was successfully opposed by the City Corporation, and the church restored by Elidir Davies between 1966 and 1968. It was the last City church to be restored. St Michael’s was opened by the Duke of Edinburgh
Duke of Edinburgh
The Duke of Edinburgh is a British royal title, named after the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, which has been conferred upon members of the British royal family only four times times since its creation in 1726...
on December 19, 1968 as Headquarters of the Mission to Seamen (now Mission to Seafarers
Mission to Seafarers
The Mission to Seafarers is an international not-for-profit charity serving sailor sailors in over 230 ports around the world. It is supported entirely by donations from the public, whose generosity has funded its work for more than a century and a half...
), an Anglican organisation that supports chaplains in ports around the world.
St Michael Paternoster Royal is also a chapel under the Bishop of London.
Architecture
The church is rectangular in plan, with only the west front on College Hill being slightly out of true. Before the Second World War the south front was hemmed in by buildings. Following bomb damage, these buildings were cleared and Whittington Garden laid out on their site, so that St Michael’s main façade is now on the south, along Upper Thames Street. The south front is faced with Portland stonePortland 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...
and has six round-headed windows with cherub keystones. The less prominent north and east fronts are of brick. The roof is balustraded.
Entrance is through the tower in the south west corner. This has a round headed window at the lowest level, then a circular window, then a square headed belfry window. At the top is a pierced parapet with square urns on the corners. The stone spire was designed by Nicholas Hawksmoor
Nicholas Hawksmoor
Nicholas Hawksmoor was a British architect born in Nottinghamshire, probably in East Drayton.-Life:Hawksmoor was born in Nottinghamshire in 1661, into a yeoman farming family, almost certainly in East Drayton, Nottinghamshire. On his death he was to leave property at nearby Ragnall, Dunham and a...
and is similar to those of St Stephen Walbrook
St Stephen Walbrook
St Stephen, Walbrook is a small church in the City of London, part of the Church of England's Diocese of London. It is located in Walbrook, next to the Mansion House, and near to Bank and Monument Underground stations.-History:In the second century A.D...
, St James Garlickhythe
St James Garlickhythe
St. James Garlickhythe is a Church of England parish church in Vintry ward of the City of London, nicknamed ‘Wren’s lantern’ owing to its profusion of windows. Recorded since the 12th century, the church was destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666 and rebuilt by the office of Sir Christopher...
and, to a lesser extent, the west towers of St Paul’s Cathedral. It is an open octagon formed by eight Ionic columns, each with its own entablature
Entablature
An entablature refers to the superstructure of moldings and bands which lie horizontally above columns, resting on their capitals. Entablatures are major elements of classical architecture, and are commonly divided into the architrave , the frieze ,...
and topped by an urn. Above this is another, smaller, octagon with another eight columns with urns. Above the second octagon is a tiny dome surmounted by a pennant vane. The height of the tower and steeple is 128 ft.
The church was designated a Grade I listed building on 4 January 1950.
Interior
The interior is partitioned, reflecting the building’s dual purpose. The west of the building, roughly corresponding with the plan to the original 13th century church, accommodates a hall, vestibule and the offices of the Mission to Seafarers.The chapel is housed in the larger, eastern, part of the church. In the east wall are 3 stained glass windows designed by John Hayward in 1968. The main window depicts St Michael trampling a red-winged Satan. The windows on either side show the Virgin Mary with the infant Jesus and Adam and Eve with St Gabriel and the serpent. On the south wall, another stained glass window depicts Dick Whittington with his cat http://www.bbc.co.uk/legacies/myths_legends/england/london/index.shtml.
The reredos is original, with four Corinthian columns and 2 flaming urns. Before it are 17th century Baroque statues of Moses
Moses
Moses was, according to the Hebrew Bible and Qur'an, a religious leader, lawgiver and prophet, to whom the authorship of the Torah is traditionally attributed...
and Aaron
Aaron
In the Hebrew Bible and the Qur'an, Aaron : Ααρών ), who is often called "'Aaron the Priest"' and once Aaron the Levite , was the older brother of Moses, and a prophet of God. He represented the priestly functions of his tribe, becoming the first High Priest of the Israelites...
, moved here from All-Hallows-the-Great
All-Hallows-the-Great
All-Hallows-the-Great was a church in the City of London, located on what is now Upper Thames Street, first mentioned in 1235. Destroyed in the Great Fire of London of 1666, the church was rebuilt by the office of Sir Christopher Wren...
on that church’s demolition in 1894. The statues’ hands were blown off in the War and have been replaced. Moses previously held a pointer, indicating the Decalogue, while Aaron held a censor. He now raises his hands in a blessing.
Also from All-Hallows-the-Great is the elaborate chandelier, marked ‘Birmingham 1644’. The organ case is a replica of the 1749 organ case taken from All-Hallows-the-Great but destroyed in the War. It houses a Noel Mander organ. In front of the organ gallery is a coat of arms of William III
William III of England
William III & II was a sovereign Prince of Orange of the House of Orange-Nassau by birth. From 1672 he governed as Stadtholder William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic. From 1689 he reigned as William III over England and Ireland...
.
The pulpit, communion rails and lectern date from the 17th century, but the rest of the woodwork was made in the 1960s.
See also
- List of churches and cathedrals of London
- List of Christopher Wren churches in London
External links
- St Michael Paternoster Royal from Friends of the City Churches