St Katharine Cree facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Katharine Cree |
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View from the southwest, showing the 16th century tower
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| OS grid reference | TQ33398114 |
| Location | London, EC3 |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Website | Official website: http://www.stkatharinecree.org |
| History | |
| Dedicated | 31 January 1631 |
| Architecture | |
| Heritage designation | Grade I listed building |
| Style | Jacobean |
| Years built | 1628–30 |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | London |
The Guild Church of St Katharine Cree is an Anglican church in the City of London. It's located on Leadenhall Street, near Leadenhall Market. This historic church was first built in 1280. The building you see today was constructed between 1628 and 1630. It used to be a local parish church, but now it serves as a special guild church for the City.
Contents
History of St Katharine Cree Church
The First Church Building
The area around St Katharine Cree has had a church since 1108. Back then, people went to the church of the Augustinian Holy Trinity Priory, Aldgate. This priory was founded by Queen Maud, wife of King Henry I. However, sharing the priory church became difficult for everyone.
To solve this, the prior started St Katharine Cree in 1280. This new church was just for the local people. It was built in the priory's churchyard, possibly starting as a small chapel for burials. The name "Cree" comes from "Crichurch," which was a short way of saying "Christ Church" (the priory's other name).
At first, a priest from the priory looked after the church. But this still wasn't ideal. So, in 1414, St Katharine Cree became its own official parish church. The tall tower you see today was added around 1504.
A writer named John Stow described the old church in the late 1500s. He noted that the street level had risen so much over time. This meant people had to go down seven steps to enter the church.
The Current Church Building
The church building we see now was built between 1628 and 1630. It kept the old tower from the 1500s. The new church was made bigger, using land where a cloister (a covered walkway) used to be. The floor inside is also much higher than before.
William Laud, who was the Bishop of London, officially opened the rebuilt church on January 31, 1631. Later, during his trial for heresy, his enemies used the way he dressed and the service he used as proof against him. They said his actions showed he had Catholic sympathies. Today, there's a chapel in the church that remembers him.
Luckily, St Katharine Cree survived the Great Fire of London in 1666. It also had only minor damage during the London Blitz in Second World War. However, the building needed a lot of repair work in 1962 due to structural issues. It is now one of London's special Guild churches.
Jacobean Architecture and Features
St Katharine Cree is a very important example of Jacobean architecture. This was a time when not many new churches were built. It's the only Jacobean church in London that is still standing. We don't know who designed it.
The church has a high main area called the nave. This area connects to narrower side sections called aisles. These are separated by arches supported by Corinthian columns. The church is about 31 yards (28 meters) long and 17 yards (15 meters) wide. The ceiling of the nave is about 37 feet (11 meters) high.
The front part of the church, called the chancel, has a beautiful rose window. People say it was inspired by the much larger one in Old St Paul's Cathedral, which was destroyed in the Great Fire. This window and its stained glass are original, dating back to 1630. The baptismal font (where baptisms happen) is from around 1640.
The vaulted ceiling has special decorations called bosses. These bosses show the symbols of 16 of the City's livery companies and the City of London itself. From the east end, these symbols are:
- North Aisle – Mercers, Drapers, Skinners, Salters, Dyers and Pewterers
- Nave – The City of London, Fishmongers, Merchant Taylors, Ironmongers, Clothworkers and Leathersellers
- South Aisle – Grocers, Goldsmiths, Haberdashers, Vinters and Brewers
These symbols were mostly put in place during a restoration in 1972. It's believed that these companies used St Katharine Cree for a while after the Great Fire of London in 1666. This was while their own Guild Churches were being rebuilt.
The church is a Grade I listed building. This means it's considered very important historically.
RMS Lancastria Memorial
By the south wall of St Katharine's, there is a memorial for the RMS Lancastria. This was a troopship that sank in 1940 during the Second World War, with many lives lost. The memorial includes a model of the ship and its original bell.
Church Bells
St Katharine's has a set of six bells for change ringing. Five of these bells, including the smallest one, were made by Lester and Pack in 1754. The largest bell was made by Thomas II Mears in 1842. The church clock also has a bell, made by Lester and Pack in 1754.
In the summer of 2007, the bells were rung for the first time since 1880. An effort to raise £60,000 to fix the bells began in November 2007. The project was finished in 2009. This church is the only one in the City of London where the bells are rung from a special room on the ground floor.
Today, St Katharine's is a guild church, meaning it doesn't serve a specific local area. Instead, it focuses its work on supporting the worlds of finance, business, and industry.
People Connected to St Katharine Cree
- Stephen Charnock (1628–80), a Puritan clergyman and thinker, was born in this church's parish.
- The grave of famous artist Hans Holbein the Younger (died 1543) is claimed by both St Andrew Undershaft church and St Katharine Cree. St Katharine Cree's claim seems more likely. This is because a nearby abbey had recently been destroyed, and St Andrew Undershaft's graveyard was already full.
- Both famous composers Henry Purcell and George Frideric Handel played the organ at this church.
- Sir Nicholas Throckmorton (died 1571), a diplomat and ambassador, is buried here.
See also
- Lion sermon
- List of buildings that survived the Great Fire of London
- List of churches and cathedrals of London
