St George in the East Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids St George in the East
St George in the East seen from the south
51°30′36″N 0°03′35″W / 51.5100°N 0.0598°W / 51.5100; -0.0598
Location	Cannon Street Road, London, E1
Country	United Kingdom
Denomination	Church of England
Churchmanship	Anglo-Catholic
History
Dedication	Saint George
Architecture
Heritage designation	Grade I
Architect(s)	Nicholas Hawksmoor
Style	Classical (with Palladian and Byzantine elements)
Years built	1714–1729
Administration
Parish	St George in the East
Diocese	London
Division	Stepney Episcopal Area (Archdeaconry of Hackney)

St George-in-the-East is an Anglican church in the East End of London. It is named after Saint George, a famous saint. You can find it on Cannon Street Road, between two other streets called The Highway and Cable Street. Right behind the church, there's a peaceful area called St George's Gardens, which used to be the church's graveyard.

What the Church Does Today
A Look Back at History
Images for kids
See also

What the Church Does Today

In May 2015, St George-in-the-East started working with a group called the Centre for Theology and Community (CTC). This group is a charity that helps people in the community. It is based in the church's East Crypt, which is a room under the church.

Church leaders who work for CTC also help out in the local area around the church. The second floor of the church is home to the Community of St George. This is a group of everyday Christians who help with church services and its work in the community.

A Look Back at History

Building the Church

St George-in-the-East is one of six churches in London designed by a famous architect named Nicholas Hawksmoor. It was built a long time ago, between 1714 and 1729. The money for building it came from a special law passed in 1711.

The church's name also refers to the "parish" around it. A parish is like a local area. There's a church parish that still exists today. The church was recognized as a very important building in 1950, given a "Grade I listed building" status. This means it's protected because of its special history and design.

Troubles in the 1850s

In the 1850s, there was some trouble at the church. The Bishop of London at the time, Archibald Campbell Tait, brought in a new speaker. This speaker had different ideas from the church's main priest and his assistant.

As a protest, some people in the church made loud noises and blew horns. Some men even came into the church smoking pipes and wearing hats. They also brought barking dogs! Sadly, some people even threw rubbish onto the altar, which is a very important part of the church.

Because of these problems, the church had to close for a while in 1859. The main priest was not well, so he was convinced to let someone else take over his duties for a bit.

The Church During World War II

During the Second World War, London was bombed a lot, especially the docklands area nearby. In May 1941, St George-in-the-East was hit by a bomb. The inside of the church was completely destroyed by fire.

However, the strong outer walls and the church's unique "pepper-pot" towers stayed standing. After the war, in 1964, a new, modern church was built inside the old walls. New apartments were also built under each of the corner towers.

A writer named Ian Nairn described the church in 1966. He called it "A ruin among ruins" in a "lost part of Stepney." He said it was one of the hardest buildings to describe in London, but that it still showed Hawksmoor's amazing and unusual design.