Description
The church of St Martin Orgar formerly stood here, its name arising from a Deacon called Ordgarus who owned the church, which he presented prior to c.1181 to the Dean and Chapter of St Paul's. It had a churchyard by c.1250. The building was damaged but not entirely destroyed in the Great Fire and part of the tower and nave were subsequently repaired and converted as a meeting place and chapel for French Huguenot Protestants. By c.1820 this had become ruinous and all but the tower was demolished, which acted as the entrance to the burial ground for the parish of St Clement and now occupied the site of the old church. The former churchyard remains as a raised garden in private use.
Practical Information
| Site location | Martin Lane |
|---|---|
| Postcode | EC4R 0AU |
| What3Words | ///each.curiosity.maple |
| Type of Site | Private Garden |
| Borough | City of London |
| Open to Public | No |
| Opening Times | private, visible from roadway |
| Public Transport | Tube: Monument (District, Circle) / Bank (Central, Waterloo and City, Northern, DLR) |
| Research Updated | 1 June 2010 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
St Martin Orgar formerly stood in Martin Lane, its name arising from a Deacon called Ordgarus who had owned the church prior to c.1181 and which he presented to the Dean and Chapter of St Paul's. Martin Lane was once notorious for moneylenders. St Martin Orgar had a churchyard by c.1250. The church was damaged in the Great Fire of 1666 after which the parish was joined to that of St Clement Eastcheap (q.v.). The church was not entirely destroyed in the Fire and part of the tower and nave were subsequently repaired and converted as a meeting place and chapel for French Huguenot Protestants. By c.1820 this had become ruinous and all but the tower was demolished, the latter acting as the entrance to what became the burial ground for the parish of St Clement, on the site of the old church. Remains of the medieval church were discovered during excavations in 1987. When Cannon Street was widened in 1847 the tower was demolished, but rebuilt in 1851as a rectory for St Clements, and the old bell was re-hung as a clock bell in a projecting clock, and it is now used as offices. It is likely to be the bells of St Martin Orgar that are referred to in the nursery rhyme Oranges and Lemons: 'You owe me five farthings, Say the bells of St Martins'.
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Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ328808 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 0.0466 |
| Site Ownership | Diocese of London |
| Site Management | private |
| Dates | medieval; C17th |
| Listed Structures | LBII: Railing, wall and gates to former churchyard |
| 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 | No |
| 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 |
Gallery
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Nearby parks and gardens
St Laurence Pountney is so-named after Sir John Poultney or de Pulteney, Lord Mayor of London in the 1330s, who founded Corpus Christi College in the parish of St Lawrence. Church and college were destroyed in the Great Fire of 1666 and not rebuilt, the parish then united with that of St Mary Abchurch. The site consists of two raised and railed gardens divided by a lower pedestrian passage to Martin Lane, the area in the north being the site of the church, which was used for burial after its destruction, with the original burial ground to the south. Both gardens are private, and contain trees, shrubs and a number of tombs, that to the south for private use of adjoining residences.
A church dedicated to St Clement, a C1st Roman converted to Christianity, was recorded here in a charter of 1067, the locality called Eastcheap by reason of the medieval market or 'Cheap' that served the east of the City. Celebrated lectures on the Creed were delivered here in the later C17th by Bishop Pearson, who became Bishop of Chester and at one time Henry Purcell was organist. The church had been rebuilt in 1658 but was destroyed in the Great Fire and rebuilt by Wren in 1683/87, one of the smallest of his parish churches. The parish was joined by that of St Martin Orgar whose site became the burial ground for the parishes. The former churchyard of St Clement survives as a raised garden with entrance gate and C18th-style railings on the alleyway of St Clement's Court on the north side of the church.
The Fishmongers' Company has its origins in at least the C12th and was granted its first Charter in 1272. The Company has had premises here since the C16th, the current Hall built in 1831-35 to replace an earlier hall when part of its site was needed for the new London Bridge Approach. Additional offices were built it 1976/7 facing Upper Thames Street and Swan Lane, at which time the courtyard between the wings was enlarged and laid out as a small garden open to the river. It is on two levels and largely paved with a flower border and a few trees. A statue of James Hulbert, benefactor of the Fishmongers' Company, was brought from the Fishmongers' Almshouses at Bray in Berkshire, and on one wall are the arms from the entrance of the C17th Hall.
