St Dunstan's, Stepney facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Dunstan and All Saints, Stepney |
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| 51°31′1″N 0°2′30″W / 51.51694°N 0.04167°W | |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Churchmanship | Modern Inclusive Anglo Catholic |
| Website | Official website of St Dunstan's: http://www.stdunstanstepney.com |
| History | |
| Dedication | St Dunstan and All Saints |
| Architecture | |
| Heritage designation | Grade I |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Stepney |
| Deanery | Tower Hamlets |
| Archdeaconry | Hackney |
| Diocese | Diocese of London |
| Province | Canterbury |
St Dunstan's, Stepney, is an Anglican church. It is located in Stepney High Street, Stepney, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. People believe St Dunstan founded or re-founded the church in AD 952. He is the patron saint of bell ringers, metalworkers, and Stepney.
The church is also known by two special names. It is called the Mother Church of the East End. It is also known as the Church of the High Seas.
Contents
History of St Dunstan's Church
How the Church Began
Around AD 952, Dunstan was the Bishop of London. He was also the Lord of the Manor of Stepney. He replaced an older wooden church with a new one. This new church likely had stone parts. It was dedicated to "All the Saints."
In 1029, Dunstan became a saint. This is called being "canonised." The church was then renamed St Dunstan and All Saints. It has kept this name ever since. Like many bishops after him, Dunstan might have lived in the Stepney area. Dunstan is the patron saint of bell ringers, bell makers, metalworkers, musicians, and Stepney. His special day is May 19th.
Dunstan's Hands-On Approach
Dunstan probably helped a lot with building the church. There are many stories about him. One story says he physically moved a whole church. He wanted it to face the traditional East-West direction better. This might sound like a legend. However, it could be true for churches built in the 10th century.
Back then, churches often had a light timber frame. This frame was placed in a trench dug in the ground. It's possible Dunstan, with help from local builders, adjusted the church's position. He could have used his shoulder to move the structure within the trenches. Once it was straight, the trench was filled. The gaps in the timber were filled with a mix of mud and straw called wattle and daub.
The Mother Church of the East End
St Dunstan's is called "The Mother Church of the East End." This is because its original parish covered a huge area. This area later became much of inner East London. As more people moved in, many new churches were built. These new churches were like "daughter parishes" of St Dunstan's.
Because of this history, St Dunstan's symbol, a blacksmith's tongs, is on the Tower Hamlets coat of arms. The first daughter parish was likely Hackney. It was part of Stepney's land. However, it became independent very early, and records are lost. Whitechapel followed in the 1300s. Some churches, like Bow Church in Bow, started as smaller "chapels of ease." These were places for people to worship more easily. Later, they became independent parishes.
The Church of the High Seas
Stepney has always been connected to sea trade. This is why the church is known as the Church of the High Seas. In the past, the Bishop of London was in charge of recording births at sea. This was done at St Dunstan's in Stepney. This is probably why British warships were traditionally considered part of Stepney Parish. Children born at sea were also thought to be parishioners of Stepney. An old rhyme says: "He who sails on the wide sea, is a parishioner of Stepney"
Building and Repairs
The church building you see today is the third one on this spot. It was mostly built in the 1400s. However, the chancel (the part near the altar) is even older, from 200 years before. A porch and an octagonal room were added in 1872. The church was repaired a lot in 1899.
On October 12, 1901, a fire destroyed parts of the church. This included the vestries (rooms for clergy) and the organ. The organ had beautiful carvings by Grinling Gibbons. The church was repaired again and reopened in June 1902.
During World War II, the area around the church was badly damaged by air raids. But the church itself had only minor damage. In January 1945, a V2 missile landed in the churchyard. This damaged the tower and broke stained glass windows. The church was repaired again. Today, the church is a Grade I listed building. This means it is a very important historical building.
In the mid-1950s, the London County Council wanted to make the churchyard into a large park. This would give local people a place to relax. But they decided not to do it in 1969.
Church Bells
St Dunstan is the patron saint of bell ringers and bell makers. So, it's fitting that this church has a set of ten bells. They hang in the belfry (bell tower). St Dunstan himself is said to have experimented with making bells. The bells at Stepney were made at the local Whitechapel Bell Foundry. This foundry started in 1570. It was the last big metalworking business in the East End until it closed in 2017.
Seven of the ten bells were made in 1806. They were re-hung in 1899. The heaviest bell weighs about 28¾ hundredweight (which is about 1,460 kg). Three bells were remade in 1952 when the tower was repaired. The bells are even mentioned in the nursery rhyme Oranges and Lemons: "When will that be, say the bells of Stepney." This line refers to sailors and dockworkers asking for their wages. Their bosses often cheated them.
The 6th bell has a special message. It is dedicated to Prisca Coborn. In 1701, she started a charity to help widows of sailors from Stepney. The 9th bell is dedicated to Sir Charles Wager. He supported the Stepney Society. This group held an annual event called the Cockney's Feast, also known as the Stepney Feast. This event raised money to help boys from Stepney become sailors or work in other sea-related jobs.
Inside the Church
Inside the chancel, you can see a beautiful triple sedilia. These are stone seats for priests. The rood (a cross or crucifix) is very old, from the late Anglo Saxon period. Among the church's special items are a cup and paten (a small plate for the bread) from 1559. There is also a beadle's staff and a verger's wand from 1752.
The organ was put in place in 1971. It was originally built in 1872 for another church. It replaced an organ from 1903. That organ is now in a different church. The 1903 organ had replaced the one destroyed in the 1901 fire. That very old organ was from 1678.
The Churchyard
The church is surrounded by a large churchyard, almost seven acres (28,000 square meters). Around 1665, the churchyard was made bigger. This was to bury the huge number of people who died during the Great Plague of London. In one 18-month period, 6,583 people died. On one day in September 1665, 154 people were buried.
The church has a long connection to the sea. Many sailors were buried here. This is another reason it's called the 'Church of the High Seas'. The graveyard is also where Roger Crab is buried. He was a hermit in the 1600s. He lived only on herbs, roots, leaves, grass, and water.
The churchyard stopped being used for burials in 1854. Between 1885 and 1887, the land around the church was changed. The Metropolitan Public Gardens Association turned it into a public garden. A landscape gardener named Fanny Wilkinson designed it. The Association paid £3,000 for the work. The Duchess of Leeds opened the garden in 1887.
The railings, pillars, and gates around the churchyard are Grade II listed. This means they are also important historical structures. The war memorial in the churchyard is also separately Grade II listed.
The grounds have many London plane trees. There is also a black mulberry tree. Mulberry trees used to be more common. They are a reminder of the weaving trade that was important in the area. You can still find them in many East End churchyards.
Current Activities
The church is still open to visitors and people who want to worship. It has an active group of people who help keep the church community going. There is the Arbour Centre, which is a community project. There is also a food bank. The church has strong links with two schools: Stepney Greencoat Church of England Primary School and Stepney All Saints School. St Dunstan's also has a Children and Community Worker. This person's job is supported by the Bishop of London's Mission Fund.
Notable People Connected to St Dunstan's
Clergy (Church Leaders)
- John Colet (1467–1519): A pioneer in education and a leading Christian thinker.
- Richard Foxe (1448–1528): Later became a bishop and founded Corpus Christi College, Oxford.
- William Greenhill (1591–1671): A nonconformist clergyman and member of the Westminster Assembly. He was a vicar here for about seven years.
- Matthew Mead (1630–1699).
Baptisms (Christenings)
- Godscall Paleologue (1694–?): The last heir of the Eastern Roman Empire. He was born in Wapping and baptised at St Dunstan's in 1694.
- Phoebe Hessel (1713-1821): Known as the 'Stepney Amazon'. She lived to be over 100 years old. She pretended to be a man to serve in the British Army.
Burials (People Buried Here)
- Roger Crab (1621–1680): He promoted Christian vegetarianism and lived as a hermit.
- Richard Swanley (died 1650): A naval officer who supported Parliament.
- Timothy Cruso (1657–1697): A clergyman.
- John Leake (1656–1720): A naval commander.
See also
