St Michael Bassishaw facts for kids

Quick facts for kids St Michael Bassishaw
St Michael Bassishaw from The Churches of London by George Godwin (1839)
Location	Basinghall Street, London
Country	United Kingdom
Denomination	Church of England
Architecture
Architect(s)	Christopher Wren
Style	Baroque
Demolished	1900

St Michael Bassishaw was an old church in Basinghall Street in the City of London. It stood where the Barbican Centre is today. This church was first mentioned in the 1100s.

The original church was destroyed in the terrible Great Fire of London in 1666. It was then rebuilt by the famous architect Christopher Wren and his team. Sadly, this rebuilt church was taken down in 1900.

History of St Michael Bassishaw

St Michael Bassishaw was one of seven churches in London named after the Archangel Michael. The name "Bassishaw" likely comes from "Basing's haw". This means "Basing's yard," referring to a powerful family in medieval London.

Early Church Building

The first mention of the church was in a document from 1196. It was called "St Michael de Bassishaghe" back then.

When the church was built in the 1100s, its north wall was placed over old Roman and medieval rubbish pits. Because of this, the wall needed extra support from strong structures called buttresses. This was found out during digs in the late 1800s and again in 1965.

In the 1300s, a priest named William dug a ditch outside the church. He wanted to show that he owned the path there. But the Corporation of London made him fill it back in.

Rebuilding in the 1400s

The church was rebuilt in the 1400s. A wealthy merchant named John Burton and his wife Agnes gave a lot of money for this. You could see his special mark all over the roof of the choir and the middle part of the church. John Burton died in 1460 and was buried inside the new church.

From the 1400s, the leaders of St Paul's Cathedral chose the priests for St Michael's.

A special chapel was added to the north side of the choir. This was built by Sir James Yerford, who was the Lord Mayor of London in 1520. He was buried there in 1527. The church was repaired in 1630, but everything was lost in the Great Fire of London of 1666.

The Great Plague and the Fire

In 1662, Francis Hall became the church's leader. He was a chaplain to King Charles II. When the Great Plague of London started in 1665, he left the area. He only came back in 1670 to get his pay. The priest who took his place, a man named Williams, died from the plague in September 1665. His wife and three children also died.

The 17th Century Rebuilding by Wren

After the Great Fire, a new church was designed by Christopher Wren. Building started in 1675 and finished four years later. The builder, John Fitch, had trouble with the ground at the east end. He had to remove the old foundations and strengthen the soil.

The church walls were made of brick, not the usual stone. Inside, there were strong Corinthian columns that held up the roof. However, Fitch's work was not very good. His columns were later described as poorly built, made from different materials and covered with plaster.

By 1693, the church leaders were asking Wren to pay for repairs. By 1700, the church needed props to stay up and was in bad shape. Major repairs were done in 1713. The upper parts of the walls were rebuilt, the slate roof was changed to lead, and a steeple was added. The total cost of rebuilding was a huge £5,704.

Church Tower and Steeples

The church's tower was also made of brick and stood on the west side. The steeple was probably designed by Robert Hooke. It looked like an eight-sided drum with a lantern on top. From this lantern, a trumpet-shaped cone rose up. On top of that was a ball and a decorative spike. This spike survived the church's demolition. It is now on the spire of St Andrew-by-the-Wardrobe.

In 1839, George Godwin described St Michael's as a "plain, strong building" without anything very special. It was about 70 feet long and 50 feet wide. Inside, it had a main area (nave) and side aisles, separated by the Corinthian columns. The main entrance faced Basinghall Street. It had a large arched window with two round windows next to it.

In 1821, the brick walls were covered with a smooth plaster called stucco. This was then painted to look like stone.

Notable Burials

Some important people were buried at St Michael Bassishaw:

• Sir John Gresham, who died in 1556.
• Thomas Storer, who died in 1604.
• Thomas Wharton, an anatomist (someone who studies the body), who died in 1673.

Church records, including baptisms, marriages, and burials from 1733 to 1852, were copied and published in 1944.

Demolition of the Church

In the late 1800s, new health rules meant the church had to clear out the human remains from its underground crypt. This work showed how weak the church's foundations were. In 1892, the church was declared unsafe and closed. Its parish (the area it served) was joined with that of St Lawrence Jewry.

St Michael Bassishaw was taken down in 1900. The land was sold to the City of London Corporation for £36,000. Some of this money was used to build two new churches in Edmonton, north London. These were St Aldhelm's church (built 1903) and St Michael's church (built 1901). The new St Michael's church was later turned into apartments in 1982.

An office building called Bassishaw House was built on the site of the old church. This building was demolished in 1965. During this demolition, archaeologists found some remains of the church's medieval foundations. Today, the area where St Michael's once stood is under the courtyard of the Guildhall offices and the Barbican highwalk.

A large plaster royal coat of arms from St Michael Bassishaw, which was one of the grandest from any Wren church, is now in the Guildhall complex. The church's weathervane went to St Andrew-by-the-Wardrobe, and its organ went to King's College, Taunton.

Images for kids

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  Royal Coat of Arms now in the Guildhall, London