St Dunstan's in the East #1

by Helga Novelli

Title

St Dunstan's in the East #1

Artist

Helga Novelli

Medium

Photograph - Infrared Photography

Description

St Dunstan's in the East church's garden, City of London.

This little gem has a long history. The church was originally built in about 1100. It was severely damaged in the Great Fire of London in 1666 and was patched up between 1668 and 1671. A steeple was added in 1695–1701 to the designs of Sir Christopher Wren. It was built in a gothic style sympathetic to main body of the church.

In 1817 it was found that the weight of the nave roof had thrust the walls seven inches out of the perpendicular. The state of the structure proved so bad that the whole building was taken down. It was rebuilt to a design in the perpendicular style by David Laing. The foundation stone was laid in November 1817 and the church re-opened for worship in January 1821. Built of Portland stone, with a plaster lierne nave vault, it could accommodate between six and seven hundred people. Wren's tower was retained in the new building.

The church was severely damaged in the Blitz of 1941. Wren's tower and steeple survived the bombs' impact. Of the rest of the church only the north and south walls remained. In the re-organisation of the Anglican Church in London following the War it was decided not to rebuild St Dunstan's, and in 1967 the City of London Corporation decided to turn the ruins of the church into a public garden, which opened in 1971.

The ruin was designated a Grade I listed building in 1950.

Uploaded

March 2nd, 2016

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