St Michael Wood Street facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St. Michael Wood Street |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Location | London |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | Christopher Wren |
| Style | Baroque |
| Demolished | 1897 |
St Michael’s Wood Street was a church and parish of medieval origin in Cripplegate Ward in the City of London, and is first mentioned in 1225 as St. Michael de Wudestrate. It stood on the west side of Wood Street, initially with a frontage on Huggin Lane but later on Wood Street itself.
After King James IV of Scotland was killed at the Battle of Flodden in 1513, his head was brought to London and hastily buried in this church. John Stow admired the building, and called it a "proper thing".
The church was destroyed in the Great Fire of London, and after some pressure it was rebuilt by Sir Christopher Wren in 1673. The organ was built by Thomas Elliot in 1800: the most noted organist was Dr Henry Hiles.
In 1854 the declining residential population led to proposals to reduce the number of churches within the "Square Mile" - a procedure the church's vicar had himself proposed. The church was eventually demolished under the auspices of the Union of Benefices Act in 1897, and many bodies were disinterred from the churchyard and reburied at Brookwood Cemetery.
The parish was then united with St Alban Wood Street, and, after the destruction of that church in World War II, with St Vedast Foster Lane.
The site has undergone several redevelopments: as of 2020, it is the site of a low-rise commercial building.
Ministers of the church
- John Ive, fl 1399
- Arthur Jackson (minister), c.1624
