St Andrew by the Wardrobe, City of London
A short ride on the District Line brought me to Blackfriars, and after crossing Queen Victoria Street, it was just a short walk up it to St Andrew's.
Set on a terrace overlooking the street, it is brick built, and handsome.
And was open.
----------------------------------------------------------
The plain design of Wren’s last city church attracts very little attention despite its simple grace. Thrown further into the shadows by a noisy and fast-moving road, St Andrew-by-the-Wardrobe is even easier to ignore. Like a well-bred lady fallen on hard times, the church waits with quiet dignity for someone to stop and pass the time of day.
With its rectangular body and unembellished tower, St Andrew’s presents a no-nonsense image to the outside world. Its warmth is all on the inside, where a wealth of woodwork carved in traditional style adds a wonderfully restful feel.
Burnt down in the Great Fire and bombed out in the Blitz, today’s church of St Andrew is a complete reconstruction nestling within Wren’s walls. The details—including the 17th century emblems on the ceiling—have been reproduced with particular care, so that it is difficult to tell that the church was out of use until 1961.
The history of St Andrew’s dates back to the thirteenth century when it was associated with Baynard’s Castle, a royal residence that has long since disappeared. When King Edward III moved his state robes and other effects from the Tower of London to a large building close by, St Andrew’s became better known for its connection with the Great Wardrobe. The name stayed to specify its location although the King’s store room is now only remembered in Wardrobe Place.
One of St Andrew’s proudest boasts is its connection with Shakespeare. The playwright worked close by at the Blackfriars Theatre for at least 15 years and would have known the medieval church well. He eventually bought a house in Ireland Yard, which was also in St Andrew’s parish.
In tribute to its most distinguished resident, the modern St Andrew’s now features a memorial to William Shakespeare in the west gallery, carved in oak and limewood. There is also a matching memorial to one of Shakespeare’s contemporaries, the famous lutenist, singer and composer John Dowland (1562-1626) who was buried in the churchyard of St Ann’s, Blackfriars. St Ann’s was not rebuilt after the Great Fire and its parish was afterwards merged with St Andrew’s.
In a rather fanciful scene, Shakespeare and Dowland are shown kneeling on a stage while cherubs hold back the final curtain. Under the window between the pair is the following inscription:
‘If music and sweet poetry agree,
As they must needs, the sister and the brother…
Dowland to thee is dear, whose heavenly touch
Upon the lute doth ravish human sense…’
Appropriate though these lines may be in Dowland’s case, they have only a slim link with William Shakespeare. Although they come from The Passionate Pilgrim, a collection of verse published in 1599 with Shakespeare’s name on the title page, this poem was in fact written by one Richard Barnfield.
As well as this recent addition, St Andrew’s has acquired several antique fitments over the past thirty years, most coming from other London churches destroyed in the last war. As a Wren church denuded of its original interior, it was lucky to get a replacement pulpit from the church of St Matthew, Friday Street, which had been built in the same period. The font and cover also came from here. Among other treasures are a figure of St Andrew, dated around 1600, which stands on the north side of the sanctuary, and an unusual figure of St Ann, mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who is shown holding the Virgin Mary, who in turn holds the Christ child. This statue, which is probably north Italian, dates to around 1500.
A number of City Livery Companies have links with St Andrew-by-the-Wardrobe and some of their banners are displayed in the church (Mercers, Apothecaries, Parish Clerks & Blacksmiths). St Andrew’s has been designated as the Ward Church of the Castle Baynard Ward.
THE MERCERS COMPANY
In 1542 the Company purchased from Henry VIII the property of the Hospital of St Thomas of Acon which included the advowson of St Mary Colechurch at the corner of Cheapside and Old Jewry. The Great Fire destroyed this church and the benefice was united with St Mildred Poultry. In 1871 St Mildred’s was pulled down and an exchange of rights was made between the Company and the Crown which gave the Company a share in the presentation of St Andrew-by-the-Wardrobe. Under a Deed signed in 1984 the Company became the joint Patrons with the Parochial Church Council of St Andrew’s, and in 1986 a plurality was made between St Andrew-by-the-Wardrobe and St James Garlickhythe.
www.standrewbythewardrobe.net/history/
First mentioned around 1170,[2] St. Andrew-by-the-Wardrobe was almost certainly founded considerably earlier. During the 13th century the church was a part of Baynard's Castle, an ancient royal residence. In 1361, Edward III moved his Royal Wardrobe (a storehouse for Royal accoutrements, housing arms and clothing among other personal items of the Crown) from the Tower of London to just north of the church. It was from this association that the church acquired its unique name.
The Wardrobe and the church, however, were both lost in the Great Fire of London in 1666.[3] Of the 51 churches designed by Sir Christopher Wren after the Great Fire, St. Andrew-by-the-Wardrobe is among the simplest of his designs; it was rebuilt in 1695.
The church was again destroyed during the London blitz by German bombing; only the tower and walls survived. It was rebuilt and rededicated in 1961.
The advowson of St Andrew's was anciently held by the family of FitzWalter to which it probably came from the holding by Robert Fitzwalter(d.1235) of the office of Constable of Baynard's Castle.[4] In 1417 it was held by Thomas de Berkeley, 5th Baron Berkeley(d.1417), as his charter dated 24 June 1417 appointing feoffees to his estate records.[5] Berkeley's Inn, the town house of that family stood nearby, at the south end of Adle Street, against Puddle Wharf, as reported by John Stow in his "Survey of London"(1598).
St. Andrew's is situated on a terrace overlooking the street, its plain red-brick exterior contrasting with the stone buildings on either side. The interior is aisled, with arcaded bays supported by piers rather than the usual columns.[7] The original interior fittings were mostly destroyed during the war, and many of the church's features were procured from other destroyed London churches. The weathervane on the steeple comes from St Michael Bassishaw (which was demolished in 1900). A replacement pulpit came from the church of St Matthew, Friday Street.[8] The font and cover also came from here. There is a figure of St Andrew, dated around 1600, which stands on the north side of the sanctuary and an unusual figure of Saint Anne who is shown holding the Virgin Mary who in turn holds the Christ child. This statue, which is probably north Italian, dates to around 1500.
William Shakespeare was a member of this parish for about fifteen years while he was working at the Blackfriars Theatre nearby, and later he bought a house within the parish, in Ireland Yard. In his honour, a memorial was erected in the church.[9]
Regular Sunday services are conducted there by the St. Gregorios congregation of the Indian Orthodox Church.[10]
The church was designated a Grade I listed building on 4 January 1950.
St Andrew by the Wardrobe, City of London
A short ride on the District Line brought me to Blackfriars, and after crossing Queen Victoria Street, it was just a short walk up it to St Andrew's.
Set on a terrace overlooking the street, it is brick built, and handsome.
And was open.
----------------------------------------------------------
The plain design of Wren’s last city church attracts very little attention despite its simple grace. Thrown further into the shadows by a noisy and fast-moving road, St Andrew-by-the-Wardrobe is even easier to ignore. Like a well-bred lady fallen on hard times, the church waits with quiet dignity for someone to stop and pass the time of day.
With its rectangular body and unembellished tower, St Andrew’s presents a no-nonsense image to the outside world. Its warmth is all on the inside, where a wealth of woodwork carved in traditional style adds a wonderfully restful feel.
Burnt down in the Great Fire and bombed out in the Blitz, today’s church of St Andrew is a complete reconstruction nestling within Wren’s walls. The details—including the 17th century emblems on the ceiling—have been reproduced with particular care, so that it is difficult to tell that the church was out of use until 1961.
The history of St Andrew’s dates back to the thirteenth century when it was associated with Baynard’s Castle, a royal residence that has long since disappeared. When King Edward III moved his state robes and other effects from the Tower of London to a large building close by, St Andrew’s became better known for its connection with the Great Wardrobe. The name stayed to specify its location although the King’s store room is now only remembered in Wardrobe Place.
One of St Andrew’s proudest boasts is its connection with Shakespeare. The playwright worked close by at the Blackfriars Theatre for at least 15 years and would have known the medieval church well. He eventually bought a house in Ireland Yard, which was also in St Andrew’s parish.
In tribute to its most distinguished resident, the modern St Andrew’s now features a memorial to William Shakespeare in the west gallery, carved in oak and limewood. There is also a matching memorial to one of Shakespeare’s contemporaries, the famous lutenist, singer and composer John Dowland (1562-1626) who was buried in the churchyard of St Ann’s, Blackfriars. St Ann’s was not rebuilt after the Great Fire and its parish was afterwards merged with St Andrew’s.
In a rather fanciful scene, Shakespeare and Dowland are shown kneeling on a stage while cherubs hold back the final curtain. Under the window between the pair is the following inscription:
‘If music and sweet poetry agree,
As they must needs, the sister and the brother…
Dowland to thee is dear, whose heavenly touch
Upon the lute doth ravish human sense…’
Appropriate though these lines may be in Dowland’s case, they have only a slim link with William Shakespeare. Although they come from The Passionate Pilgrim, a collection of verse published in 1599 with Shakespeare’s name on the title page, this poem was in fact written by one Richard Barnfield.
As well as this recent addition, St Andrew’s has acquired several antique fitments over the past thirty years, most coming from other London churches destroyed in the last war. As a Wren church denuded of its original interior, it was lucky to get a replacement pulpit from the church of St Matthew, Friday Street, which had been built in the same period. The font and cover also came from here. Among other treasures are a figure of St Andrew, dated around 1600, which stands on the north side of the sanctuary, and an unusual figure of St Ann, mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who is shown holding the Virgin Mary, who in turn holds the Christ child. This statue, which is probably north Italian, dates to around 1500.
A number of City Livery Companies have links with St Andrew-by-the-Wardrobe and some of their banners are displayed in the church (Mercers, Apothecaries, Parish Clerks & Blacksmiths). St Andrew’s has been designated as the Ward Church of the Castle Baynard Ward.
THE MERCERS COMPANY
In 1542 the Company purchased from Henry VIII the property of the Hospital of St Thomas of Acon which included the advowson of St Mary Colechurch at the corner of Cheapside and Old Jewry. The Great Fire destroyed this church and the benefice was united with St Mildred Poultry. In 1871 St Mildred’s was pulled down and an exchange of rights was made between the Company and the Crown which gave the Company a share in the presentation of St Andrew-by-the-Wardrobe. Under a Deed signed in 1984 the Company became the joint Patrons with the Parochial Church Council of St Andrew’s, and in 1986 a plurality was made between St Andrew-by-the-Wardrobe and St James Garlickhythe.
www.standrewbythewardrobe.net/history/
First mentioned around 1170,[2] St. Andrew-by-the-Wardrobe was almost certainly founded considerably earlier. During the 13th century the church was a part of Baynard's Castle, an ancient royal residence. In 1361, Edward III moved his Royal Wardrobe (a storehouse for Royal accoutrements, housing arms and clothing among other personal items of the Crown) from the Tower of London to just north of the church. It was from this association that the church acquired its unique name.
The Wardrobe and the church, however, were both lost in the Great Fire of London in 1666.[3] Of the 51 churches designed by Sir Christopher Wren after the Great Fire, St. Andrew-by-the-Wardrobe is among the simplest of his designs; it was rebuilt in 1695.
The church was again destroyed during the London blitz by German bombing; only the tower and walls survived. It was rebuilt and rededicated in 1961.
The advowson of St Andrew's was anciently held by the family of FitzWalter to which it probably came from the holding by Robert Fitzwalter(d.1235) of the office of Constable of Baynard's Castle.[4] In 1417 it was held by Thomas de Berkeley, 5th Baron Berkeley(d.1417), as his charter dated 24 June 1417 appointing feoffees to his estate records.[5] Berkeley's Inn, the town house of that family stood nearby, at the south end of Adle Street, against Puddle Wharf, as reported by John Stow in his "Survey of London"(1598).
St. Andrew's is situated on a terrace overlooking the street, its plain red-brick exterior contrasting with the stone buildings on either side. The interior is aisled, with arcaded bays supported by piers rather than the usual columns.[7] The original interior fittings were mostly destroyed during the war, and many of the church's features were procured from other destroyed London churches. The weathervane on the steeple comes from St Michael Bassishaw (which was demolished in 1900). A replacement pulpit came from the church of St Matthew, Friday Street.[8] The font and cover also came from here. There is a figure of St Andrew, dated around 1600, which stands on the north side of the sanctuary and an unusual figure of Saint Anne who is shown holding the Virgin Mary who in turn holds the Christ child. This statue, which is probably north Italian, dates to around 1500.
William Shakespeare was a member of this parish for about fifteen years while he was working at the Blackfriars Theatre nearby, and later he bought a house within the parish, in Ireland Yard. In his honour, a memorial was erected in the church.[9]
Regular Sunday services are conducted there by the St. Gregorios congregation of the Indian Orthodox Church.[10]
The church was designated a Grade I listed building on 4 January 1950.