Historic churches · London
St Helen's Bishopsgate
St Helen's Bishopsgate — church in City of London, England, UK.
Wikimedia Commons contributors — see linked file page for photographer and licence licence
Plan your visit
- Typical visit
- 30 min–1 h
- Nearest railway station
- Liverpool Street · 0.3 km
- Free entry
- Wheelchair accessible
About
St Helen's Bishopsgate is a historic church in the United Kingdom. Records date its origin to 1250. Heritage designation: Grade I listed building. Affiliated with Anglicanism. Named after Helena Augusta. Wikidata describes it as: "church in City of London, England, UK". Coordinates: 51.5148°, -0.0817°.
Photo gallery
Heritage listing
St Helen's Bishopsgate is an Anglican church in London. It is located in Great St Helen's, off Bishopsgate. It is the largest surviving parish church in the City of London. Several notable figures are buried there, and it contains more monuments than any other church in Greater London except Westminster Abbey, hence it is sometimes referred to as the "Westminster Abbey of the City". It was the parish church of William Shakespeare when he lived in the area in the 1590s. It was one of only a few churches in the City of London to survive both the Great Fire of 1666 and the Blitz. Owing to parish consolidation over the years, the parish is now named "St Helen's Bishopsgate with St Andrew Undershaft and St Ethelburga Bishopsgate and St Martin Outwich and St Mary Axe".
From the Historic England List Entry under OGL v3.
From the Wikipedia article
St Helen's Bishopsgate is an Anglican church in London. It is located in Great St Helen's, off Bishopsgate. It is the largest surviving parish church in the City of London. Several notable figures are buried there, and it contains more monuments than any other church in Greater London except Westminster Abbey, hence it is sometimes referred to as the "Westminster Abbey of the City". It was the parish church of William Shakespeare when he lived in the area in the 1590s. It was one of only a few churches in the City of London to survive both the Great Fire of 1666 and the Blitz. Owing to parish consolidation over the years, the parish is now named "St Helen's Bishopsgate with St Andrew Undershaft and St Ethelburga Bishopsgate and St Martin Outwich and St Mary Axe". The Worshipful Company of Merchant Taylors are the patrons of the benefice. Today, it is home to a large congregation in the conservative evangelical tradition with a ministry to city workers, families, students and young professionals. Four English-speaking (and one Mandarin-speaking) church services take place each Sunday, as well as a number of midweek talks and small group Bible studies. The nearby churches St Andrew Undershaft and St Peter upon Cornhill are also administered by St Helen's.
Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.
Background
Architecture
The present building is the result of a substantial restoration in 1993–1995 by architect Quinlan Terry, after consistent damages were incurred by two IRA bombs in 1992 and 1993. The restoration resulted in a bright, large, flexible open-space interior that can be used in different configurations. It is equipped with modern lighting, underfloor heating, and public address system. Although some of the monuments were lost due to the bombings, the majority of them survived and were preserved in the building. <gallery mode="packed" heights="250px"> File:St Helen's Bishopsgate interior - 3.jpg File:St Helen's Bishopsgate interior - 4.jpg </gallery>
Description
When the priory was dissolved in 1538, the nunnery was incorporated in the parish church and the screen separating it from the rest of the church was removed. This gave the church its unusual construction consisting of two naves. In the following years, the building was rearranged according the principles of the Reformation, which put the emphasis on the preaching of the Word and on the full and active participation of the congregation. A Jacobean pulpit was erected in 1615 in a central position on the south wall, accompanied by an ornamental tester in 1640. Box pews were installed and arranged around the pulpit. In the 17th century, extensive repairs were carried out, most notably…
Visiting
Following the decision of the General Synod of the Church of England to authorise the blessing of same-sex unions, St Helen's Church declared itself to be in impaired communion with the Bishop of London Sarah Mullally and the House of Bishops. It subsequently stated that episcopal oversight at St Helen's will henceforth be provided by Bishops from the Global Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans (GAFCON) and its affiliated denominations. On 3 October 2022, the church confirmed that its PCC had passed a resolution that rejects the ordination of women due to complementarian convictions, and therefore receive alternative episcopal oversight from the Bishop of Maidstone. Following the retirement…
Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Coordinates
- 51.5148, -0.0817
- District
- City of London
- Parish
- City of London, unparished area
- Postcode
- EC3A 6AT
- Parliamentary constituency
- Cities of London and Westminster
- Established
- 1250
- Nearest railway station
- Liverpool Street — 0.3 km
- Official site
- www.st-helens.org.uk
Sources
- wikidata: Q7593309 (CC0)
- wikipedia: St Helen's Church, Bishopsgate (CC BY-SA 4.0)
- commons: St Helen's Church, Bishopsgate, London EC2 - geograph.org.uk - 1706611.jpg (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Frequently asked questions
- Where is St Helen's Bishopsgate?
- St Helen's Bishopsgate is in London, United Kingdom (postcode EC3A 6AT), in the parish of City of London, unparished area.
- When was St Helen's Bishopsgate built?
- Built or established in 1250.
- Is St Helen's Bishopsgate a listed building?
- St Helen's Bishopsgate is officially recognised as Grade I listed building listed.
- Is St Helen's Bishopsgate free to visit?
- Yes, St Helen's Bishopsgate is free to enter.
- How do I get to St Helen's Bishopsgate?
- The nearest railway station is Liverpool Street, about 0.3 km away. Drivers can navigate to postcode EC3A 6AT.