St Nicholas Cole Abbey facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Nicholas Cole Abbey |
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| Location | London, EC4 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Previous denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Churchmanship | Conservative evangelical |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | Sir Christopher Wren |
| Style | Baroque |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | London |
St Nicholas Cole Abbey is a historic church in the City of London. It stands on what is now Queen Victoria Street. This church has been around since the 1100s. Sadly, it was destroyed in the terrible Great Fire of London in 1666. After the fire, it was rebuilt by the famous architect Sir Christopher Wren and his team.
Later, during the Second World War, the church was badly damaged by German bombs in the London Blitz. It was then rebuilt again in 1961–1962 by Arthur Bailey.
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History of St Nicholas Cole Abbey
The church is named after St Nicholas of Myra, who lived in the 4th century. He is known as the patron saint of children and fishermen. The name "Cole Abbey" comes from an old word, "coldharbour," which meant a shelter for travelers. Even though it has "abbey" in its name, it was never a monastery. The first time the church is mentioned in history is in a letter from Pope Lucius II in 1144 or 1145.
Because St Nicholas is the patron saint of children and fishermen, the church has special connections to both groups. Old records from the time of the Protestant Reformation show that the church had special clothes for children. This suggests they might have had a tradition of choosing a "boy bishop" on Saint Nicholas Day. Also, documents from the time of King Richard I talk about a new fish market near the church. In 1272, the church was even called "St Nick's behind Fish Street." Many fish sellers were buried here in the 1500s. A historian named John Stow wrote that during the time of Queen Elizabeth I, a water tank fed by the River Thames was set up near the church for the local fishmongers.
Like all churches in England, St Nicholas Cole Abbey became Protestant during the Reformation. When Queen Mary I became queen, it was the first church to celebrate Mass again on August 23, 1553. The priest at the time, Thomas Sowdley, had been allowed to marry under the previous king, Edward VI. He lost his job because Queen Mary I wanted priests to be unmarried. However, he got his job back when Elizabeth I became queen.
About a hundred years later, the church's leadership was held by Colonel Francis Hacker. He was a Puritan who was involved in the execution of King Charles I.
Rebuilding After the Great Fire
The church was completely destroyed in the Great Fire of London. King Charles II had thought about giving the land to the Lutheran community. But other groups convinced him not to, and the church was rebuilt. Its parish was combined with St Nicholas Olave, another nearby church that was also destroyed but not rebuilt.
The church was rebuilt between 1672 and 1678. It cost about £5042, which was a lot of money back then! It was the first of 51 churches lost in the Great Fire to be rebuilt.
The church built after the fire faced north towards what was then Fish Street. Later, in the Victorian times, the city was redeveloped. A new road, Queen Victoria Street, was built. This meant the church's south wall, which used to be hidden by other buildings, now faced the new street. So, in 1874, the church was changed. New windows were added on the south side, and the main entrance moved from the northwest tower to the south.
The smoke from underground trains made the outside of the church very dark in the late 1800s. People even started calling it "St Nicholas Cole Hole Abbey" because it looked so dirty.
A Popular Church in the City
In 1881, the church had very few people attending services. But in 1883, a new rector named Henry Shuttleworth took over. He was a Christian Socialist and made the church a lively place. He even added a bar and started many music programs. The church became a popular spot for discussions and debates. This worked! By 1891, St Nicholas Cole Abbey had the biggest congregation of any church in the City of London. About 450 people would come to the Sunday evening service.
World War II Damage and Restoration
On May 10, 1941, London had its worst air raid during the Second World War. Many buildings were destroyed or badly damaged, including St Nicholas Cole Abbey. The church was left as an empty shell. It was finally restored by Arthur Bailey and reopened in 1962.
Recent Times and Current Use
After its restoration, the church's parish was joined with St Andrew-by-the-Wardrobe. St Nicholas Cole Abbey became a center for mission and unity for the local church area. From 1982 to 2003, the church was used by the Free Church of Scotland (a Presbyterian church).
In 2014, the building reopened as the St Nicholas Cole Abbey Centre for Workplace Ministry. It also has a cafe called The Wren.
St Nick's Church Today
In November 2016, Sunday services started again at the church, now known as St Nick's Church. They also hold meetings during the week.
The church follows a conservative evangelical style within the Church of England.
Architecture of St Nicholas Cole Abbey
The church is a very important historical building. It was given a Grade I listed building status on January 4, 1950. This means it's considered to be of exceptional interest.
Outside the Church
The church building is made of stone with special corner stones called quoins. Some parts of the south and west walls still have medieval stonework, which is made of brick and rubble. On top of the main part of the church, there's a decorative railing called a balustrade. The windows are arched with square frames, which was a favorite design of Sir Christopher Wren.
On the northwest corner of the church is a square tower. On top of the tower is a lead spire that looks like an upside-down octagonal trumpet. Each corner of the tower has a small decoration that looks like a flaming urn. The spire has two rows of small arched windows and a tiny balcony near the top, which looks a bit like a crow's nest on a ship. At the very top, there's a weathervane shaped like a three-masted barque (a type of sailing ship). This ship weathervane came from another church, St Michael Queenhithe, which was taken down in 1876. It was added to the spire in 1962. Before that, the weathervane looked like a flag with four "S" shapes.
The tower is 135 feet tall and holds one bell.
Inside the Church
The east wall inside the church has three beautiful stained glass windows. They were designed by Keith New, who also helped create windows for Coventry Cathedral. These windows remind some people of the artwork of Marc Chagall. The original windows by Edward Burne-Jones were destroyed in 1941 during the war. The new windows show different ideas: the left one shows St Nicholas Cole Abbey as the center of the world with crosses pointing everywhere. The middle one shows the Rock of Christ with the ark (representing the church) on four rivers (representing the Gospels). The right one shows seven lamps, which represent the church spreading around the world.
Decorative carvings called swags have been remade above the east windows. The rest of the inside is quite simple, with Corinthian pilasters (flat columns) for decoration. In the vestry (a room for the clergy) in the northwest, the floor is made of "crazy paving" from broken tombstones.
Some parts of the church from the 1600s still exist today. These include the carved pulpit (though it's on a new base), the cover for the font (where baptisms happen), part of the communion rail, and parts of the original reredos (a screen behind the altar) from Wren's time, which are now on the south wall. There's also a King Charles II coat of arms.
Behind a panel near the south door, a medieval stone head was found during the church's restoration.
The organ in the church was built by Noel Mander for the restored building.
Services and Activities
St Nick's Church holds services every Sunday at 11:00 AM. The services are modern in style. There are also Sunday clubs and a crèche (a nursery) for younger children and youth. Before the service, coffee and pastries are served from 10:30 AM, and there's an informal lunch afterward.
Small groups meet on Wednesday evenings. They have a meal at 6:15 PM, followed by a Bible study and prayer time at 7:00 PM. "St Nick's Talks" happen every Thursday lunchtime at 1:05 PM. These talks aim to share the good news of Jesus Christ from the Bible with people who work nearby.
St Nicholas Cole Abbey in Culture
- Henry Shuttleworth, a former rector of the church, was the inspiration for the character James Morrell in George Bernard Shaw's 1898 play Candida.
- The damaged shell of St Nicholas Cole Abbey was used as a filming location for the gold heist scene in the 1951 Ealing comedy movie The Lavender Hill Mob.
- The church is mentioned in Iris Murdoch's first novel, Under the Net, published in 1954.
- St Nicholas Cole Abbey was also used as a location in a 1968 episode of the TV show Doctor Who called The Invasion.
See also
Images for kids
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St Nicholas Cole Abbey
