St Peter le Poer

The church, often spelt "St Peter le Poor", was in existence by the end of the 12th century. The name was traditionally explained as a reference to the poverty of the area – although by the beginning of the 19th century it was one of the richest in the City – or to its proximity to the monastery of St Augustine, whose monks professed indigence. The church survived the Great Fire of London in 1666. As it stood in the later 18th century, the building was 54 feet long and 51 feet wide, with a small tower in the north-west corner. A clock hung from the middle of a beam extending across the road from the church.