St Olave's Church, Hart Street facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Olave, Hart Street |
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| Location | London, EC3 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Website | http://www.saintolave.com |
| Architecture | |
| Heritage designation | Grade I listed building |
| Style | Perpendicular Gothic |
| Years built | 1450 |
| Specifications | |
| Bells | 8 – Hung for full circle ringing |
| Administration | |
| Parish | St Olave Hart Street |
| Deanery | City of London Deanery |
| Archdeaconry | Archdeaconry of London |
| Diocese | London |
St Olave's Church, Hart Street is a historic Church of England church in the City of London. You can find it on the corner of Hart Street and Seething Lane, close to Fenchurch Street railway station.
This church is one of the smallest in the city. It's also one of the few medieval churches that amazingly survived the Great Fire of London in 1666. Besides being a local church, St Olave's is also the special Ward Church for the Tower Ward area of London.
Contents
A Look Back: History of St Olave's
The church was first mentioned in the 1200s. Back then, it was called St Olave-towards-the-Tower. It was a stone building that replaced an older wooden one. The church is named after Olaf II of Norway, who is the patron saint of Norway. He was a king who fought alongside the Anglo-Saxon King Æthelred the Unready against the Danes in a battle near London Bridge in 1014. After he died, he was made a saint. People believe St Olave's Church was built right where that battle happened.
The church was rebuilt in the 1200s and again in the 1400s. The building you see today dates from around 1450. A rich wool merchant named Richard Cely Sr. helped the church a lot in the late 1400s. He gave money to build the church's tower and an altar.
How St Olave's Survived the Great Fire
St Olave's managed to escape the terrible Great Fire of London. This was thanks to Sir William Penn, who was the father of the famous William Penn who started Pennsylvania in America. Sir William Penn and his team from the nearby Naval yards blew up houses around the church. This created a gap that stopped the fire from spreading. The flames got very close, but then the wind changed direction, saving the church!
Samuel Pepys and His Church
The famous diarist Samuel Pepys loved St Olave's. His house and his office for the Royal Navy were both on Seething Lane. He went to church there regularly and called it "our own church" in his diary. In 1660, he even had a special gallery built on the south wall of the church. He added an outside staircase from his office so he could go to church without getting wet in the rain!
The gallery is gone now, but a memorial reminds us where Pepys's stairway door was. In 1669, his wife Elisabeth died. Pepys had a marble statue of her made and placed on the north wall. He wanted to be able to see her from his seat during services. When Pepys died in 1703, he was buried next to his wife inside the church.
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The "Ghastly Grim" Gateway
In 1861, the writer Charles Dickens wrote about the churchyard's entrance. This gateway, built in 1658, has carvings of grinning skulls and crossbones. Dickens was so fascinated by it that he called the churchyard "Saint Ghastly Grim." He even wrote about visiting it late at night during a thunderstorm to see the skulls!
Wartime Damage and Rebuilding
Sadly, the church was badly damaged by German bombs in 1941 during the London Blitz in World War II. It was rebuilt and reopened in 1954. King Haakon VII of Norway returned to London to lead the special ceremony for its reopening. He even placed a stone from Trondheim Cathedral in Norway in front of the altar.
St Olave's was officially named a Grade I listed building on January 4, 1950. This means it's a very important historical building. The church also has strong, old connections with Trinity House (which looks after lighthouses and pilots) and the Clothworkers' Company (an old London guild).
Church Design: Architecture of St Olave's
St Olave's looks quite simple from the outside. It's built in the Perpendicular Gothic style, which was popular in medieval England. It has a short, square tower made of stone and brick. The brick part was added in 1732. The church is most famous for its spooky 1658 entrance arch to the churchyard, which is decorated with grinning skulls. As mentioned, Charles Dickens loved this and called it "St Ghastly Grim."
The inside of St Olave's was heavily damaged during the wartime bombing. Much of what you see today was rebuilt in the 1950s. The main part of the church is almost square. It has three sections separated by columns made of Purbeck limestone, which support pointed arches. The roof is a simple oak structure.
Most of the church's furniture and decorations are new. However, some important old pieces survived. These include the memorial to Elizabeth Pepys and the pulpit, which some say was made by the famous woodcarver Grinling Gibbons.
American Connection
In the tower, there used to be a memorial with an American link. It honored Monkhouse Davison and Abraham Newman. They were grocers from Fenchurch Street who shipped crates of tea to Boston in 1773. These were the crates that were thrown into the water during the Boston Tea Party. This event was one of the main causes of the American War of Independence.
Unusual Burials
Perhaps the most unusual "person" said to be buried here is "Mother Goose," a famous pantomime character! Her burial was recorded in the church's records on September 14, 1586. A plaque outside the church remembers this event. The churchyard is also said to hold the grave of Mary Ramsay. People believe she was the woman who brought the terrible Plague to London in 1665. The church records show her burial on July 24, 1665. After that, victims of the Plague were marked with a 'p' next to their names in the records.
The Bells of St Olave's
On the east side of St Olave's, there's a beautiful stained glass window. It shows Queen Elizabeth I standing with two tall bells at her feet. She held a special thanksgiving service at St Olave's on May 15, 1554. At that time, she was still Princess Elizabeth. She was celebrating being released from the Tower of London.
On May 11, 1941, a bomb was dropped on the church tower by the Luftwaffe (German air force). The tower, along with other parts of the church, was burned out. The heat was so intense that the eight bells melted "back into bell metal." In the early 1950s, this melted bell metal was used to make new bells. They were cast by the same company that made the original bells back in the 1600s!
Today, St Olave's Hart Street has nine bells. There's one small "Sanctus bell" and a ring of eight larger bells. These bells are used for full circle ringing, a special way of ringing church bells. The bells are usually rung for practice on Thursday evenings and for Sunday services. The University of London Society of Change Ringers (ULSCR) often rings them.
The Organ
An organ was first built for the church by Samuel Green in 1781. Sadly, this organ was destroyed during the Blitz in 1941. After the war, a new organ was built in 1954 by the John Compton Organ Company. It's located in the west gallery, hidden behind a large wooden screen. In 1957, more parts were added to the organ.
The Story of Peter Turner's Bust
Peter Turner was a famous doctor in the late 1500s and early 1600s. He was buried in the church along with his father, William Turner, who was also a well-known doctor and scientist. When Peter Turner died in 1614, a memorial statue (called a bust) was made and placed in the church.
When the church was damaged during the Blitz, the bust went missing. It wasn't seen again until April 2010, when it appeared at an art auction in the UK. Once it was recognized, the sale was stopped. After some talks, the bust was finally returned to its original spot in St Olave's in 2011, after being gone for over 70 years!
Famous Visitors and Burials
Many interesting people have been connected to St Olave's Church:
- Queen Elizabeth I of England: She held a special service here in 1554 to celebrate being released from the nearby Tower of London.
- Two Inuit men: The first Inuk person to come to England was buried here in 1576. An Inuit child, known as Nutaaq, was also buried here in 1577. They had been brought to England during voyages to find the Northwest Passage.
- Sir Philip Sidney: This famous poet had his daughter Elizabeth christened (baptized) in this church in 1585.
- Sir Francis Walsingham: Queen Elizabeth I's spymaster lived across the street from the church. His house was often mentioned in the church's records for baptisms, marriages, and funerals.
- Anthony Bacon: A diplomat and thinker, and brother of Francis Bacon, was buried here in 1601.
- Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex: Grandson of Sir Francis Walsingham and a general in the English Civil War, he was baptized at his grandmother's house and noted in the church records in 1590.
- Ann, Lady Fanshawe: A memoir writer, she was born in a house near the church in 1625 and baptized at St Olave's.
- Samuel Pepys: The famous diarist was buried here in 1703, next to his wife, Elisabeth Pepys.
- King Haakon VII of Norway: He worshipped here between 1940 and 1945, when he was living in exile during World War II.
Images for kids
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The crypt, a hidden part of the church.
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The pulpit, where sermons are given, with detailed wood carvings.
See also
- List of buildings that survived the Great Fire of London
- List of churches and cathedrals of London
