Description
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.
Practical Information
| Site location | Great St Helen's off Bishopsgate |
|---|---|
| Postcode | EC3A 6AT |
| What3Words | ///sing.humid.chase |
| Type of Site | Public Gardens |
| Borough | City of London |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted. Church: Mon-Fri: 9am-5pm |
| Public Transport | Rail: Liverpool Street. Tube: Liverpool Street (Central, Metropolitan, Circle, Hammersmith & City) |
| Research Updated | 1 June 2010 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
The former churchyard is now a largely paved semi-circular area in front of main entrance to the church with 2 mature plane trees, a small amount of planting, and a number of tombs including an altar tomb to Joseph Lem (d.1686) and a headstone. It has a low stone wall with evidence that it was once railed. The church here dates from at least the C12th or perhaps earlier 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 in the early C13th; the churchyard was here by 1250. This nun's church served a Benedictine nunnery established c1200-1215 by William, son of William the Goldsmith. Over the years the church has been much altered and it was then extensively restored and re-ordered by Quinlan Terry in 1993-95 following terrorist bomb damage in 1992 and 1993. Fragments of the C12th parish church walls remain. According to Pevsner (1999), the church's monuments are 'the best pre-Fire collection of any London parish church', and include monuments from St Martin Outwich, demolished in 1875.
Among those who are commemorated in the church are Sir Thomas Gresham (d.1579) who established the Royal Exchange (q.v.); Martin Bond (d.1643) who as a young man fought against the Spanish Armada; Sir John Spencer (d.1609), former Lord Mayor of London; Sir John Crosby (d.1475) after whom nearby Crosby Square is named and whose house of 1460-80, Crosby Hall, was moved from Great St Helen's to be re-built in Chelsea in 1908. The churchyard was being used as public open space by 1875, following its closure as a burial ground. Like many overcrowded churchyards in London, its closure came as a result of the first Burial Act of 1852 and its subsequent amendments during the 1850s. The Metropolitan Open Spaces Acts of 1877 and 1881 and the Disused Burial Grounds Act of 1884, later extended under the Metropolitan Open Spaces Act of 1887, enabled 'open spaces and burial grounds in the Metropolis for the use of the inhabitants thereof for exercise and recreation'.
Among those who are commemorated in the church are Sir Thomas Gresham (d.1579) who established the Royal Exchange (q.v.); Martin Bond (d.1643) who as a young man fought against the Spanish Armada; Sir John Spencer (d.1609), former Lord Mayor of London; Sir John Crosby (d.1475) after whom nearby Crosby Square is named and whose house of 1460-80, Crosby Hall, was moved from Great St Helen's to be re-built in Chelsea in 1908. The churchyard was being used as public open space by 1875, following its closure as a burial ground. Like many overcrowded churchyards in London, its closure came as a result of the first Burial Act of 1852 and its subsequent amendments during the 1850s. The Metropolitan Open Spaces Acts of 1877 and 1881 and the Disused Burial Grounds Act of 1884, later extended under the Metropolitan Open Spaces Act of 1887, enabled 'open spaces and burial grounds in the Metropolis for the use of the inhabitants thereof for exercise and recreation'.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ332812 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 0.0402 |
| Site Ownership | Diocese of London |
| Site Management | City of London Corporation Open Spaces Dept. |
| Dates | medieval; C19th |
| Listed Structures | LBI: St Helen'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 Helens |
| 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
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.
St Andrew Undershaft stands on Leadenhall Street at the junction with St Mary Axe, with what remains of its former churchyard to the north. It became known as St Andrew Undershaft in the C15th in reference to the shaft or maypole set up each year by the south door, a practice that continued until 1 May 1517. The maypole hung under the eves of nearby cottages in Shaft Alley until 1549 when it was finally destroyed, declared idolatrous by the curate of St Katharine Cree. Among those buried here were John Stow (d.1605), author of the famous 'Survey of London', a regular worshipper here; and Mary Datchelor (d.1725), a great benefactor of the parish. The small raised churchyard garden is railed, with two memorial seats, a tree, small flower beds and a number of slate tombstones set into the paving.
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.
