St. Margaret Lothbury
St. Mary Lothbury is a small church in the shadow of the Bank of England. It was rebuilt following the Great Fire and escaped bombing in the Second World War. It thus has a fine collection of 17th century furnishings, many brought from City churches that no longer exist.
The small St. Margaret is located in the street of Lothbury, immediately behind the Bank of England building and is therefore popular with those in the banking profession. Like St. Margaret Pattens, it is dedicated to St. Margaret of Antioch, a 4th century martyr. She was tortured and beheaded for not renouncing her Christian faith. Legend states that miracles took place, including that she was swallowed by Satan in the form of a dragon from which she escaped.
The area around St. Margaret Lothbury has changed beyond recognition since it was shown here in Civitas Londinum (the ‘Agas map’) in about 1561.
The current building stands on Saxon foundations, but the earliest mention of the church is in the late 12th century. It is on an irregular-shaped site, with the east wall at an angle to the other walls. It was rebuilt in 1440 at the expense of Lord Mayor Robert Large. The 15th century rebuilding involved partly covering in the Walbrook stream, which passes below the church. In the 16th century a conduit was created to bring water from the Hoxton area.
Destroyed in the Great Fire, it was rebuilt under Wren between 1686 and 1690 with a Portland stone exterior. Its tower is topped by a slender, lead, obelisk spire on a small, square dome, similar to St. Martin Ludgate. It was added in 1700, possibly by Robert Hooke.
It is one of the few City churches to have escaped damage in the Second World War and thus has many fine 17th century furnishings. Many are from several City churches that have now been demolished, particularly All Hallows the Great and St. Olave Jewry. Of note are the chancel screen, one of only two in City churches provided by Wren (the other in St. Peter upon Cornhill) and the carved font on the south aisle.
St. Margaret’s remains as a parochial church. In 1944 a new much larger parish was formed that incorporated into that of St. Margaret’s those of St. Martin Pomary and St. Mary Colechurch (both destroyed in the Great Fire and not rebuilt), St. Christopher le Barthlomew by the Exchange (demolished in 1841 for the rebuilding of the Royal Exchange), St. Mildred Poultry (demolished in 1872), St. Olave Jewry (demolished in 1888) and St. Stephen Coleman Street (destroyed in the Second World War).
Sources include:
- Stephen Miller ‘London’s City Churches’
- R.G. Ellen ‘A London Steeplechase’
- Tony Tucker ‘City of London Churches’
