Description
There has been a church here since at least 1180 and the first mention of 'St Adelburga' is in 1250. St Ethelburga was one of the oldest medieval churches in the City, having survived the Great Fire of London and the Blitz, but was devastated by an IRA bomb in April 1993. It was completely rebuilt and re-opened in November 2002 as a Centre for Reconciliation and Peace. The former churchyard, which prior to the IRA bomb was laid out as a garden, was re-designed as a small peace garden, planted with a specially-created St Ethelburga's Rose, a statue of the saint and a fountain that had previously stood in a garden beyond the current boundary wall.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Guild Church of St Ethelburga the Virgin |
|---|---|
| Site location | 78 Bishopsgate |
| Postcode | EC2N 4AG |
| What3Words | ///medium.gent.happen |
| Type of Site | Churchyard |
| Borough | City of London |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | as church |
| Events | Various events |
| Public Transport | Rail/tube: Liverpool Street (Central). Bus: 8, 26, 35, 47, 48 |
| Research Updated | 1 September 2008 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
There has been a church here since at least 1180 and the first mention of 'St Adelburga' is in 1250. St Ethelburga was one of the oldest medieval churches in the City having survived the Great Fire of London and the Blitz, but was devastated by an IRA bomb at Bishopsgate in April 1993. It was completely rebuilt and re-opened in November 2002 as a Centre for Reconciliation and Peace by HRH the Prince of Wales, and also re-consecrated as a church. It once had a medieval porch with a little house and shops built in 1577 and 1615, but these were removed by the Corporation of London 'thereby deprived the church of almost its only distinction'. In 'The Old Churches of London' (1942), Gerald Cobb refers to the churchyards of St Ethelburga and St Edmund that 'have been turned into prim little gardens'.
When the church was rebuilt in 2002 the former church garden was re-designed as a small peace garden by Sylvia Crawford, planted with St Ethelburga's Rose, especially created by Peter Beales Roses, a statue of the saint by Naomi Blake and a fountain that had previously stood in a garden beyond the current boundary wall. This was a gift of the Billiter Literary Society in memory of Rev W F Geikie Cobb, Rector from 1900-41. Beyond the garden wall is 'The Tent', a space dedicated to the meeting of faiths, made of woven goat's hair in Saudi Arabia to designs of Keith Critchlow with mosaic and other art and craft made in Morocco, Israel and the UK.
When the church was rebuilt in 2002 the former church garden was re-designed as a small peace garden by Sylvia Crawford, planted with St Ethelburga's Rose, especially created by Peter Beales Roses, a statue of the saint by Naomi Blake and a fountain that had previously stood in a garden beyond the current boundary wall. This was a gift of the Billiter Literary Society in memory of Rev W F Geikie Cobb, Rector from 1900-41. Beyond the garden wall is 'The Tent', a space dedicated to the meeting of faiths, made of woven goat's hair in Saudi Arabia to designs of Keith Critchlow with mosaic and other art and craft made in Morocco, Israel and the UK.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ331813 |
|---|---|
| Site Ownership | Charitable Trust formed in 1997 |
| Site Management | St Ethelburga's |
| Dates | medieval; 1990s |
| Designers | 2002 Peace Garden: Sylvia Crawford |
| Listed Structures | LBI: St Ethelburga's Church |
| 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 Helen's Place |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
Gallery
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
The former churchyard of St Helen Bishopsgate is now a largely paved semi-circular area in front of the church with mature plane trees, a small amount of planting, seating and a number of tombs including an altar tomb to Joseph Lem (d.1686). The low stone wall shows that it was once railed. It was being used as public open space by 1875, following closure for burials as result of the 1855 Burial Act. St Helen's Church dates from at least the C12th and is unusual in having twin naves as a result of a nuns' church, now the north aisle, which was built parallel to the parish church to serve a Benedictine nunnery established c.1200-1215.
The parish of St Martin Outwich dates from c.1196, with a church first mentioned in 1217, erected at the cost of the Oteswich family, hence its name. In 1385 it was vested in the Merchant Taylors' Company. The church escaped the Great Fire of 1666 but was destroyed by a fire in 1765. Although the church was rebuilt in 1796-98, it was later demolished in 1874, after the parish was united with that of St Helen Bishopsgate in 1872. The churchyard was separate from the church on a site in Camomile Street, presented by Robert Hide in 1538, now marked by a raised shrub bed.
The parish of St Botolph is mentioned in a document of 1213 and the churchyard was recorded as having a female anchorite in 1413. A Norman church predated the medieval church, which was replaced by the current church in 1729. In 1760 the churchyard was extended to its present size with ground donated by the Common Council. The tennis court that abuts the churchyard is on an area of burial ground added in 1617, once part of the ditch outside the City walls. A Church School for infants was built west of the graveyard in 1861. The churchyard was one of the first to be made into a public garden in 1863, following the Burial Act of 1855. It was laid out with seats and fenced with railings from old London Bridge. Two stone pillars with drinking fountains stand at the entrance on Bishopsgate.
