Description
The church of St Benet Fink was originally situated on Threadneedle Street, later rebuilt by Wren after an earlier church was destroyed in the Great Fire. Together with St Bartholomew by the Exchange and St Anthony's Hospital Chapel, St Benet's was demolished in 1842-44 to make way for the third, enlarged Royal Exchange and widening of Royal Exchange Avenue. The churchyard was acquired by Act of Parliament but had a long history, a C10th wheel-headed cross discovered here. To the west of the Royal Exchange is a paved area with a number of statues and a War Memorial, re-landscaped in 1985. To the east, adjacent to Royal Exchange Buildings, is a paved pedestrian piazza, Royal Exchange Square, aid out with a number of sculptures and a drinking fountain commemorating the jubilee of the Metropolitan Drinking Fountain and Cattle Trough Association.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Site of St Benet Fink Churchyard |
|---|---|
| Site location | Threadneedle Street/Cornhill/Royal Exchange Buildings |
| Postcode | EC3V 3LF |
| What3Words | ///album.number.input |
| Type of Site | Square |
| Borough | City of London |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Public Transport | Tube: Bank (Central, DLR, Northern, Waterloo & City) / Monument (Circle, District) |
| Research Updated | 1 May 2010 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
The church of St Benet Fink was originally situated on Threadneedle Street, later rebuilt in 1670-75 by Wren after an earlier church was destroyed in the Great Fire. John Henry Newton was baptised here in 1801. Wren's church of St Benet together with that of St Bartholomew by the Exchange and St Anthony's Hospital Chapel, a synagogue of 1231 which became a chapel of the French hospital in 1243, destroyed and rebuilt in 1666, were demolished in 1842-44 to make way for the new, much expanded Royal Exchange built by Sir William Tite in 1841-1844 and widening of Royal Exchange Avenue at which time the churchyard was acquired by Act of Parliament. Demolition to make way for commercial expansion was the fate of many City churches in the economic boom of the Victorian era. The former churchyard of St Benet Fink was built over but had a long history, a C10th wheel-headed cross having been discovered here.
Tite's Royal Exchange was the third on the site; London's first Exchange was founded by Sir Thomas Gresham in 1566/70, the original Renaissance-style building replaced after the Great Fire by a building on 1667-71 which was 'the grandest monument of artisan classicism in the City' (Bradley); it burnt down in 1838 and Tite won the competition for the new Exchange. General trading in the building carried on until 1939 and was then replaced by specialist exchanges. The building has a central courtyard area, which was designed by Tite as an open space but covered in 1883.
To the western end of the Royal Exchange is a paved area with a number of statues: an equestrian statue of Wellington of 1844 designed by Chantrey on a plinth, which was later raised when a ventilation shaft was required; a 1919-20 War Memorial by Sir Aston Webb with sculpture by Alfred Drury; adjacent in Cornhill is another statue on a ventilation shaft/plinth of J H Greathead by James Butler, 1993. This area at the junction of Threadneedle Street and Cornhill was re-landscaped in 1985 with low walls, some planting and seating, cast-iron lamps.
To the east of the Royal Exchange is a paved pedestrian piazza, Royal Exchange Square, adjacent to Royal Exchange Buildings, built in 1906-10 designed by Sir Ernest George & Yeates. Within this are a number of sculptures, including a fountain at the north end with a bronze figure by Dalou of a nursing mother set on a granite plinth surrounded by planting, which was erected in 1878 by the Drapers' Company and Merchant Taylors' Company; portrait herm of Paul Julius Reuter by Michael Black (1976); seated figure of philapthropist George Peabody set on a granite plinth, by W W Story (1868), which was unveiled on 23 July 1869. A drinking fountain commemorating the Jubilee of the Metropolitan Drinking Fountain and Cattle Trough Association is at the south end, a copy of one that was stolen and placed here in 1911 but which had originally been where the War Memorial now stands to the west of the Royal Exchange. This paved area with seating set around flower beds marks the site of the church.
Tite's Royal Exchange was the third on the site; London's first Exchange was founded by Sir Thomas Gresham in 1566/70, the original Renaissance-style building replaced after the Great Fire by a building on 1667-71 which was 'the grandest monument of artisan classicism in the City' (Bradley); it burnt down in 1838 and Tite won the competition for the new Exchange. General trading in the building carried on until 1939 and was then replaced by specialist exchanges. The building has a central courtyard area, which was designed by Tite as an open space but covered in 1883.
To the western end of the Royal Exchange is a paved area with a number of statues: an equestrian statue of Wellington of 1844 designed by Chantrey on a plinth, which was later raised when a ventilation shaft was required; a 1919-20 War Memorial by Sir Aston Webb with sculpture by Alfred Drury; adjacent in Cornhill is another statue on a ventilation shaft/plinth of J H Greathead by James Butler, 1993. This area at the junction of Threadneedle Street and Cornhill was re-landscaped in 1985 with low walls, some planting and seating, cast-iron lamps.
To the east of the Royal Exchange is a paved pedestrian piazza, Royal Exchange Square, adjacent to Royal Exchange Buildings, built in 1906-10 designed by Sir Ernest George & Yeates. Within this are a number of sculptures, including a fountain at the north end with a bronze figure by Dalou of a nursing mother set on a granite plinth surrounded by planting, which was erected in 1878 by the Drapers' Company and Merchant Taylors' Company; portrait herm of Paul Julius Reuter by Michael Black (1976); seated figure of philapthropist George Peabody set on a granite plinth, by W W Story (1868), which was unveiled on 23 July 1869. A drinking fountain commemorating the Jubilee of the Metropolitan Drinking Fountain and Cattle Trough Association is at the south end, a copy of one that was stolen and placed here in 1911 but which had originally been where the War Memorial now stands to the west of the Royal Exchange. This paved area with seating set around flower beds marks the site of the church.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ328811 |
|---|---|
| Site Ownership | City of London Corporation |
| Site Management | Open Spaces Dept. |
| Dates | 1840s; C20th |
| Listed Structures | LBI: Royal Exchange. LBII: Statue of Wellington, 1914-18 War Memorial, 2 drinking fountains in Royal Exchange Square, statue of George Peabody, No 2 Royal Exchange Buildings |
| 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 | Bank |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
Gallery
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Nearby parks and gardens
The Merchant Taylors' Garden is the oldest surviving Livery Company garden. The Fraternity of Tailors and Linen Armourers was established in the early C14th, later becoming the Merchant Taylors' Company. Their Hall was built between 1347-92 and its medieval crypt and great kitchen survive although all but the shell was destroyed in the Great Fire, and severe damage in WWII bombing. The first known record of a garden occurs in 1406, and the main development appears to have taken place c.1573 when there was a bowling alley, terrace and knot garden with herbs. A plan of 1680 shows 3 garden areas, the main area being what is now the enclosed courtyard garden. In the early C20th major refurbishment of the buildings took place, which included a new largely paved courtyard garden with four rhomboid flower beds around a central fountain; a statue of John the Baptist was added in 1914. In 1984/6 the garden was redesigned by raising the fountain and its surround, moving the flower beds to the outer edge and laying new stone.
St Michael's Church is of early origin, known to have been given to the Abbey and Convent of Evesham in 1055, and in 1503 it was conveyed to the Drapers' Company. The south side of the church had a cloister, and a pulpit cross was erected in the churchyard in 1528. The church was originally open to the north to Cornhill with a small churchyard but this was sold and built over between 1547-53. The church was destroyed in the Great Fire and rebuilt by 1672, the tower initially repaired then rebuilt by 1721. Some of Wren's work was lost when St Michael's was remodelled in 1857-60 by Sir George Gilbert Scott. Many famous people were buried here, including Robert Fabian, John Stow's father and grandfather, and Sir William Cowper. The former churchyard was laid out as a garden with lawns, flower beds, shrubs and trees, and a row of benches against the church wall.
The church is likely to be of Saxon origin and is dedicated to Edmund, the King of East Anglia who died in 870 attempting to escape the attacking Danes. It was also known as St Edmund's Grass-church due to the grass market once held nearby. It was burnt down in the Great Fire and rebuilt under the supervision of Wren; it was later restored in 1864 and again following WWII damage. In 2001 it became the London Centre for Spirituality. The existence of the churchyard is referred to in 1220; it closed for burials in 1853 and now has a small enclosed garden. Among those buried here was John Shute (d.1563), an architect who published what may be the first work on practical architecture in England. Joseph Addison, the celebrated essayist and politician, married Charlotte, Countess Dowager of Warwick and Holland, at St Edmund's in 1716.
