Description
St Mary Aldermary is an early church, described by John Stow as 'older than any church of St Mary in the Citie' and Aldermary (the elder Mary) may reflect this. Various additions to the building took place over the years, including partial rebuilding in 1510/11 at the behest of the Lord Mayor of London, Sir Henry Keble. In 1534 one of its rectors, Henry Gold, was executed for his involvement with the 'Holy Maid of Kent'. John Milton married his third wife here in 1662. Damaged in the Great Fire of 1666, the church was rebuilt by Christopher Wren. The former churchyard is now laid out as a small garden with a central tree, three headstones set against the wall among shrubbery and gravestones form a path leading to the west entrance of the church.
Practical Information
| Site location | Queen Victoria Street/Watling Street |
|---|---|
| Postcode | EC4M 9BW |
| What3Words | ///votes.window.former |
| Type of Site | Public Gardens |
| Borough | City of London |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted. Church: Mon & Thurs 11am-3pm |
| Public Transport | Tube: Mansion House (District, Circle) |
| Research Updated | 1 November 2002 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
St Mary's Church is of early foundation, described by Stow as 'older than any church of St Mary in the Citie' and Aldermary (the elder Mary) may refer to it being the oldest church so dedicated. In the time of William the Conqueror the church was within the living of the Priory of Christ Church Canterbury and in 1349 it was a beneficiary under the will of vintner Richard Chaucer. It was partly rebuilt from 1510/11 at the behest of Sir Henry Keble, then Lord Mayor of London, and completed after his death, with a vault for Keble on the north side of the choir. In 1626-29 further work was carried out, including completion of the tower. One of its rectors, Henry Gold, was executed in 1534 for his involvement with the 'Holy Maid of Kent'. John Milton married his third wife here in 1662. Damaged in the Great Fire of 1666, the church was rebuilt in 1679-82 by Wren, funded largely by Henry Rogers; part of the earlier building was incorporated, including the lower part of the C16th tower.
The Wren church has a small garden with a central tree in a York paved area by the west entrance of the church, with three headstones are set back against the wall among shrubbery. Cast iron railings form a feature of the south-west corner. Gravestones set into path leading to church door. This is an important small open area opening onto a narrow medieval street.
The Wren church has a small garden with a central tree in a York paved area by the west entrance of the church, with three headstones are set back against the wall among shrubbery. Cast iron railings form a feature of the south-west corner. Gravestones set into path leading to church door. This is an important small open area opening onto a narrow medieval street.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ324810 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 0.0305 |
| Site Ownership | Diocese of London |
| Site Management | City of London Corporation Open Spaces Dept. (section of churchyard maintained by church) |
| Dates | C11, C16, 1625-9, 1682 |
| Listed Structures | LBI: St Mary Aldermary 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 | Bow Lane |
| 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
This was the site of the medieval church of St Pancras Soper Lane, which was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1666, after which the parish joined that of St Mary Le Bow. Land had been granted for St Pancras Churchyard in 1379 and it was used as a burial ground until the C19th. It was converted into a garden post WWII and the small site is surrounded on three sides by buildings and has a few trees, but no evidence of gravestones. The front boundary wall has a plaque recording the site of St Pancras church.
Possibly so-called for being built on arches or for having arches on top of its steeple, St Mary-le-Bow was recorded here by the C11th. Destroyed in the Great Fire of 1666, the church was rebuilt by Wren between 1671-80, his designs based on the Temple of Peace in Rome. When the foundations were excavated they were thought to be those of a Roman temple but later deemed to be the crypt of the Norman church. After WWII the churchyard area was extended west and south and laid out as a garden around the statue of Captain John Smith, a member of the Cordwainers' Company, who founded the colony of Virginia. The churchyard was re-landscaped in 2008/09 and is now largely paved, with a mature plane tree and the statue of Smith remaining.
The raised forecourt of Nos. 27 and 28 Queen Street, a pair of fine C18th private houses now used by Gresham Computing Personnel, is on part of the site of the former burial ground of the church of St Thomas-the-Apostle. The church was first recorded in 1170, rebuilt in 1371 but destroyed in the Great Fire of 1666 and not rebuilt. The churchyard remained until 1851 when Queen Street was widened and remains were interred in a vault on the east side. The paved forecourt, accessed by a flight of steps each side, has a large plane tree and shrubbery; a stone plaque relating to the site is set into the front wall.
