St Andrew Undershaft
Encyclopedia
St Andrew Undershaft is a Church of England
church located at St Mary Axe
, in Aldgate ward
of the City of London
, near the Lloyd's Building
. It is a rare example of a City church that has managed to escape both the Great Fire of London
in 1666 and the Second World War bombing during the London Blitz of 1940-1941.
, being recorded in 1147. It was rebuilt in the fourteenth century and again in 1532, when the present church building was constructed. It is in the Perpendicular style with its entrance located at the base of its off-centre tower. The interior is divided into six bays, with a many of the original fittings that have fortunately survived Victorian renovation. Formerly, the church had one of London's few surviving large stained-glass windows, installed in the 17th century, but this was destroyed in an IRA
bomb-attack in 1992.
The church's curious name derives from the shaft of the maypole
that was traditionally set up each year opposite the church. The custom continued each spring until 1517, when student riots put an end to it, but the maypole itself survived until 1547 when a Puritan
mob seized it and destroyed it as a "pagan idol
".
The church is currently administered from St Helen's Bishopsgate
in Lime Street ward
. The church was designated a Grade I listed building on January 4, 1950.
. A swell was added in 1750 by John Byfield. There have been other restorations and enhancements by George Pike England in 1810-11 and 1826. Further work was carried out by William Hill
, Speechly and J. W. Walker & Sons, and Rushworth and Dreaper
. A specification of the organ can be found on the National Pipe Organ Register.
The organ is of such historic significance that it has been awarded a Grade I Historic Organ Certificate by the British Institute of Organ Studies
.
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 at St Mary Axe
St Mary Axe
St Mary Axe was a medieval parish in London whose name survives on the street it formerly occupied, St Mary Axe. The church itself was demolished in 1561 and its parish united with that of St Andrew Undershaft, which is on the corner of St Mary Axe and Leadenhall Street...
, in Aldgate ward
Aldgate
Aldgate was the eastern most gateway through London Wall leading from the City of London to Whitechapel and the east end of London. Aldgate gives its name to a ward of the City...
of 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...
, near the Lloyd's Building
Lloyd's building
The Lloyd's building is the home of the insurance institution Lloyd's of London, and is located at 1, Lime Street, in the City of London, England.-Design:...
. It is a rare example of a City church that has managed to escape both 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 the Second World War bombing during the London Blitz of 1940-1941.
History
The first church on the site was built in medieval timesMiddle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
, being recorded in 1147. It was rebuilt in the fourteenth century and again in 1532, when the present church building was constructed. It is in the Perpendicular style with its entrance located at the base of its off-centre tower. The interior is divided into six bays, with a many of the original fittings that have fortunately survived Victorian renovation. Formerly, the church had one of London's few surviving large stained-glass windows, installed in the 17th century, but this was destroyed in an IRA
Provisional Irish Republican Army
The Provisional Irish Republican Army is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation whose aim was to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and bring about a socialist republic within a united Ireland by force of arms and political persuasion...
bomb-attack in 1992.
The church's curious name derives from the shaft of the maypole
Maypole
A maypole is a tall wooden pole erected as a part of various European folk festivals, particularly on May Day, or Pentecost although in some countries it is instead erected at Midsummer...
that was traditionally set up each year opposite the church. The custom continued each spring until 1517, when student riots put an end to it, but the maypole itself survived until 1547 when a Puritan
Puritan
The Puritans were a significant grouping of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. Puritanism in this sense was founded by some Marian exiles from the clergy shortly after the accession of Elizabeth I of England in 1558, as an activist movement within the Church of England...
mob seized it and destroyed it as a "pagan idol
Idolatry
Idolatry is a pejorative term for the worship of an idol, a physical object such as a cult image, as a god, or practices believed to verge on worship, such as giving undue honour and regard to created forms other than God. In all the Abrahamic religions idolatry is strongly forbidden, although...
".
The church is currently administered from St Helen's Bishopsgate
St Helen's Bishopsgate
St Helen's Bishopsgate is a large conservative evangelical Anglican church, in Lime Street ward, in the City of London, close to the Lloyd's building and the 'Gherkin'.-History:...
in Lime Street ward
Lime Street (ward)
Lime Street is one of the 25 ancient wards in the City of London.It is divided into four precincts; and it is worthy a remark that, though the ward includes parts of several parishes, there is not even a whole street in it. John Noorthhouck...
. The church was designated a Grade I listed building on January 4, 1950.
Organ
The organ was installed in 1696 by Renatus HarrisRenatus Harris
Renatus Harris was a master organ maker in England in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries.During the period of the Commonwealth, in the mid seventeenth century, Puritans controlled the country and organ music was banned in churches. Many organ makers left England for the continent,...
. A swell was added in 1750 by John Byfield. There have been other restorations and enhancements by George Pike England in 1810-11 and 1826. Further work was carried out by William Hill
William Hill
-People:*William Hill *William Hill , British colonial Proprietary Governor of the Province of Avalon, Newfoundland*William Hill...
, Speechly and J. W. Walker & Sons, and Rushworth and Dreaper
Rushworth and Dreaper
Rushworth and Dreaper was a firm of organ builders based in Liverpool, England Upon its bankruptcy, its archives were mostly destroyed, and the Victorian clock in the works tower was removed...
. A specification of the organ can be found on the National Pipe Organ Register.
The organ is of such historic significance that it has been awarded a Grade I Historic Organ Certificate by the British Institute of Organ Studies
British Institute of Organ Studies
-Aims:The aims of BIOS are* To promote objective, scholarly research into the history of the organ and its music in all its aspects, and, in particular, into the organ and its music in Britain....
.
Organists
- William Goodgroome 1696
- Philip Hart 1720-1749
- John Worgan 1749-1790
- Miss Mary Allen 1790-1836
- Richard LimpusRichard LimpusRichard Davidge Limpus was an English organist and composer, who is best known for being the founder of the Royal College of Organists.-Background:...
1847 - William Rea 1847-1858
- Miss Elizabeth Stirling 1858-1880 (became Mrs F. A. Bridges)
- C.F. Frye 1880-1886
- W.M. Wait 1887-1891
- Herbert George Preston 1891-1912-1913
- William A.S. Ballard 1913-1921-????
Notable people associated with the church
- John StowJohn StowJohn 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...
, author of the Survey of London: buried in 1605. The pen held in the hand of his alabaster monument is renewed annually by the Lord Mayor of London. - Hugh HamersleyHugh HamersleySir Hugh Hamersley was a 17th century merchant who was Lord Mayor of London in 1627.-Business interests:...
, Lord Mayor of London in 1627, whose memorial is in the church. - Hans Holbein the YoungerHans Holbein the YoungerHans Holbein the Younger was a German artist and printmaker who worked in a Northern Renaissance style. He is best known as one of the greatest portraitists of the 16th century. He also produced religious art, satire and Reformation propaganda, and made a significant contribution to the history...
(1497–1543) was a parishioner of the church. - John Lawrence TooleJohn Lawrence TooleJohn Lawrence Toole was an English comic actor and theatrical producer. He was famous for his roles in farce and in serio-comic melodramas in a career that spanned more than four decades...
the famous comedian was born and christened here. - Fabian StedmanFabian StedmanFabian Stedman was a leading figure in campanology and bell-ringing. His two books Tintinnalogia and Campanalogia are the first two publications on the subject, and introduce the idea of change ringing.Early LifeFabian Stedman was the second son to Reverend Francis Stedman...
the father of church bellringing was buried here.