St Andrew Holborn (church) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Andrew, Holborn |
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| Location | London, EC4 |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Churchmanship | Modern Catholic |
| History | |
| Status | Active |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Guild Church |
| Heritage designation | Grade I listed |
| Designated | 4 January 1950 |
| Architect(s) | Sir Christopher Wren |
| Style | Baroque |
| Administration | |
| Deanery | The City |
| Archdeaconry | Archdeaconry of London |
| Diocese | Diocese of London |
The Church of St Andrew, Holborn is an old and important Church of England church. It stands on the edge of the City of London, in an area called Holborn. This church has a long and interesting history, stretching back over a thousand years. It has seen many changes in London and has been rebuilt several times.
Contents
A Look Back in Time
Early Days: Romans and Medieval Times
When people dug under the church in 2001 and 2002, they found pieces of Roman pottery. This shows that people lived in this area a very long time ago. The first time the church was written about was in the year 951. It was described as an "old wooden church" on a hill above the river Fleet.
Later, around the year 1200, a priest named Master Gladwin gave the church to St Paul's Cathedral. In 1280, someone named Simon de Gardino left money to help build a bell tower. This tower was likely made of stone and would have held bells. In the Middle Ages, the church was known by names like St Andrew Holburnestrate.
In 1348, a local armourer named John Thavie left a lot of money to help keep the church in good repair forever. This money has been carefully managed for centuries and still helps pay for the church's upkeep today. In the 1400s, the old wooden church was replaced with a new one made of stone. In 1563, lightning struck the church's tall steeple and damaged it.
From the 16th to 18th Century
The medieval St Andrew's church was lucky during the Great Fire of London in 1666. The wind changed direction at the last moment, saving it from the flames. However, the church was already in poor condition. So, it was rebuilt by the famous architect Christopher Wren. This was his largest parish church project. He rebuilt it from the ground up, creating the crypt that is still there today. He also covered the old medieval stone tower with marble.
From 1713 to 1724, Henry Sacheverell was the church's rector, and he is buried under the church's altar. In 1741, a kind sea captain named Thomas Coram started the Foundling Hospital nearby. This hospital was for children who had been abandoned. The next year, the charity moved to a new building in Bloomsbury.
The church of St George the Martyr Holborn was built between 1703 and 1706. It was first a smaller chapel for the parish, then became its own church in 1723. In 1799, the famous engineer Marc Isambard Brunel got married at St Andrew's.
The 19th Century
In 1808, the writer William Hazlitt married Sarah Stoddart here. His friends, the famous writers Charles Lamb and Mary Lamb, were part of the wedding. Later, in 1817, Benjamin Disraeli, who would become a future Prime Minister, was welcomed into the Christian Church here when he was twelve years old.
In 1828, a surgeon named William Marsden found a homeless girl suffering from the cold on the church steps. He tried to get her help from nearby hospitals, but none would take her. She sadly died in his arms. This terrible experience inspired him to create the Royal Free Hospital for people who were poor and had nowhere else to go.
In the mid-1800s, a big project called the Holborn Valley Improvement Scheme took over the church's North Churchyard. Many bodies buried there were moved to the church's crypt or to the City of London Cemetery. This was done to make space for the Holborn Viaduct. This viaduct is a bridge that connects Holborn with Newgate. Queen Victoria opened it in 1869.
Because of this project, the church received money to replace its lost land. The architect Samuel Sanders Teulon built a new rectory (a house for the rector) and a courthouse on the south side of the church. Today, this building holds offices for the church and related charities. It also has a 17th-century fireplace that was moved from another building during the viaduct construction.
The church is even mentioned in famous books! In Charles Dickens's Oliver Twist, the character Bill Sykes looks up at the church's tower. In Dickens's Bleak House, a character named Peffer is buried in St Andrew's churchyard.
From the 20th Century to Today
During World War II, on May 7, 1941, the church was hit by bombs from German planes. Only the outside walls and the tower were left standing. Instead of tearing it down, people decided to restore it. They rebuilt it "stone for stone and brick for brick" to look exactly as Christopher Wren had designed it. On January 4, 1950, the church was officially named a Grade I listed building, meaning it is very important and protected.
The church has beautiful stained glass windows and a painting of the Holy Spirit as a dove, both created by Brian Thomas.
In 1955, the Foundling Hospital, which had started near St Andrew's, sold its building. Many items from the hospital's chapel were brought back to St Andrew's. This included the remains of Thomas Coram, the hospital's founder, which were placed in a tomb in the church. The outer case of the pipe organ, which was originally given to the Foundling Hospital by George Frideric Handel, was also moved and put into St Andrew's. The pulpit and the baptismal font from the hospital also found a new home here.
The church reopened in 1961. It became a Guild Church, which means it mainly serves people who work in the area, rather than those who live there. In January 2005, a new large icon (a religious painting) was put in the church. In 2010, the church added a special system that can raise and lower the large icon of Jesus on the Cross for services.
The Church Organ
The organ in St Andrew's is a modern instrument, but its outer case is very old. It was built in 1989 by Mander Organs and is located in the west gallery. The top part of the organ's case is from an organ built in 1750 for the Foundling Hospital chapel. This original design was created by the famous composer Handel. In 1935, it was moved to a school chapel before finally being brought to St Andrew, Holborn.
Organists
Many talented musicians have played the organ at St Andrew's:
- Daniel Purcell (1713–1717)
- Maurice Greene (1717–1718)
- John Isham (1718–1726)
- John Stanley (1726–1786) - He became the organist at St Andrew's when he was only 14!
- James Evance (1786–1811)
- John Grosvenor (1811–1814)
- J. Reynolds (c. 1828–1867)
- James Higgs (1867–1895)
- Harold Phillips (1896–1903)
- F. G. M. Ogbourne (1903–1925)
- W. Glanville Hopkins (1925–1942)
- Ida Maude Hopkins (1942–)
- Stuart Hutchinson
- James McVinnie
Famous People Buried Here
Some notable people buried at St Andrew, Holborn, include:
- Ralph Rokeby (died 1596)
- John Gerard (c. 1545–1612)
- Praise-God Barebone (c. 1598–1679)
- Swithun Wells (c. 1536–1591)
- William Stanton (1639–1705)
- Thomas Coram (c. 1668–1751)
Notable Weddings
Two famous weddings took place at the church:
- Marc Isambard Brunel and Sophia Kingdom (1799)
- William Hazlitt and Sarah Stoddart (1808)
See also
