Description
Amen Court dates from the C17th, when a range of houses was built for the canons of St Paul's Cathedral close to the cathedral and within the City Walls, forming a quiet enclave situated to the north of Ludgate Hill. In the late C19th century, a new range of houses was constructed, the two terraces are separated by an enclosed private garden. Ave Maria Lane is so-called as a former processional route of the clergy,
Practical Information
| Site location | Ave Maria Lane |
|---|---|
| Postcode | EC4 |
| What3Words | ///unity.runs.stands |
| Type of Site | Private Garden |
| Borough | City of London |
| Open to Public | No |
| Opening Times | private |
| Public Transport | Tube: St Paul's (Central) |
| Research Updated | 1 November 2014 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
The entire group of buildings at Amen Court remains in residential use for the clergy of St Paul's Cathedral and consists of the range of three houses built in the 1670s and six Queen Anne Revival houses designed by Ewan Christian dating 1878-80.The C17th and C19th buildings are unified by the use of red brick. There are groups of trees within the private garden, which is bordered to the south by a Ragstone and flint wall. Monument 1002068 London Wall: Section in Amen Court.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ318812 |
|---|---|
| Site Ownership | private |
| Dates | 1670s |
| Listed Structures | SAM: section of London Wall in Amen Court. LBII*: 1-3 Amen Court, pair of gate piers attached to 1 Amen Court. LBII: 4-9, 8A and 8B Amen Court. |
| On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens | No |
| Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965 | No |
| Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931 | No |
| Local Authority | City of London |
| In Conservation Area | Yes |
| Conservation Area Name | St Paul's Cathedral |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
| Other LA Designation | Strategic Viewing Corridor |
Please note the Inventory and its content are provided for your general information only and are subject to change. It is your responsibility to check the accuracy.
Nearby parks and gardens
Stationers' Hall Garden is on the site of the former burial ground of St Martin-within-Ludgate. The church, said to have been founded in the C7th, certainly dates from at least the C14th. Before it burnt down in the Great Fire of 1666 the church was situated just outside the City walls adjacent to the Lud Gate. After the Fire the church was rebuilt by Christopher Wren to the west of its earlier site, its west wall incorporating part of the old Roman Wall. Behind the church is the private garden of Stationers' Hall. The Worshipful Company of Stationers was established in 1403 and built the Hall on the present site in 1611. The Hall has an outer courtyard and a secluded inner garden whose current layout dates from the 1930s, shaded by a mature plane tree.
Warwick Square takes its name from the Earls of Warwick who had a mansion in Warwick Lane from 1351. The square is overlooked from the north by buildings erected in 1966-72 to extend the Central Criminal Court, which had been built in 1902-07 on the former site of Newgate Gaol. Part of the earlier building was replaced and remnants in the form of four columns are within a small formally landscaped garden adjacent to Warwick Square. Landscaping in the square consists of two trees within an oval traffic island and a paved area in the south-west with shaped beds, a birdbath and a few seats.
Paternoster Square is an ancient space, rendered sacred by association with Paternoster Row where the clergy of St Paul's used to walk in procession, telling their rosary beads and reciting the Paternoster prayer. It was once the site of the Newgate Meat Market. Bombed in 1940, Paternoster Square was laid out in 1956 as part of post-war reconstruction as a large pedestrian plaza surrounded by office blocks. Predominantly hard landscaped, it had seating, some planting and a bronze sculpture by Elisabeth Frink commissioned in 1975. Redevelopment plans were under discussion in the mid 1980s, but building only commenced in 2001, completed in 2003. The paved square retained the Frink sculpture in the north end and in the centre is the 23m high Paternoster Square Column. The historic Temple Bar was re-erected here as the entrance from St Paul's Cathedral and opened to the public in late 2004.
