Description
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.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | St Michael-upon-Cornhill |
|---|---|
| Site location | Cornhill/St Michael's Alley |
| Postcode | EC3V 9DS |
| What3Words | ///porch.bank.nail |
| Type of Site | Public Gardens |
| Borough | City of London |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | As church: Mon-Fri 8.30am-5pm |
| Public Transport | Tube: Bank (Central, DLR, Northern, Waterloo & City) / Monument (Circle, District) |
| Research Updated | 1 June 2010 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
St Michael's Church is of early origin and in 1055 is known to have been given to the Abbey and Convent of Evesham by a priest called Alnothus or Alnod. In 1503 the Abbey conveyed it to the Drapers' Company. William Rus or Rous, Sheriff of London in 1429, was a great benefactor of the church and was buried here in the chapel of St Mary. He left lands and tenements, £100 for an altar in the chancel and £40 towards the new tower or steeple, the old one having burnt down in 1421. The south side of the church originally had a cloister and in the churchyard was a pulpit cross, erected by Sir John Rudstone, Lord Mayor, in 1528, similar to one that used to stand in St Paul's Churchyard (q.v.); the church was originally open to the north to Cornhill with a small churchyard here but this was sold and built over between 1547 and 1553, when 4 houses then separated the church from the busy roadway. The church was destroyed in the Great Fire and rebuilt by Wren by 1672. The tower was initially repaired but eventually needed rebuilding and was completed in 1721 by Nicholas Hawksmoor, with money from the Fifty New Churches Commission following the Fifty New Churches Act of 1711. Some of Wren's work was lost when St Michael's was remodelled in 1857-60 by Sir George Gilbert Scott who also designed the vaulted cloister between the churchyard and St Michael's Alley of 1868. In 1906 the parish was joined by that of St Peter-le-Poer. To the east of the churchyard is the Rectory and Vestry built in 1913-14 by Charles Reilly. A bronze war memorial by the church entrance on Cornhill is by Richard Goulden, dated 1920. Among those buried here was Robert Fabian (d.1511), Alderman of London and sheriff in 1493, best known for his 'Chronicles of England and France'; also the father of John Stow as well as his grandfather, Thomas Stow (d.1526). John Stow himself was buried at St Andrew Undershaft (q.v.). Members of the family of Sir William Cowper (d.1664) were also buried here, with memorials in the church.
The former churchyard was laid out as a garden with a paved path around two sides and areas of lawn, within which at one time there was a circular raised flowerbed, now removed. Flower beds, shrubs and trees are around the perimeter on two sides and a row of benches against the church wall, with gravestones set into the paving. A memorial birdbath is in one of the flowerbeds.
The former churchyard was laid out as a garden with a paved path around two sides and areas of lawn, within which at one time there was a circular raised flowerbed, now removed. Flower beds, shrubs and trees are around the perimeter on two sides and a row of benches against the church wall, with gravestones set into the paving. A memorial birdbath is in one of the flowerbeds.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ329810 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 0.0491 |
| Site Ownership | Diocese of London |
| Site Management | City of London Corporation Open Spaces Dept. (except for small area of land maintained by church) |
| Dates | medieval; C15, 1670-2; 1857-60 |
| Listed Structures | LBI: St Michael Cornhill |
| 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
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
Although the first written reference to St Peter Cornhill is in 1040, there is a legend that the church was founded in AD179 by Lucius, first Christian King of Britain. A Roman wall passed beneath the north-east corner of the church. Destroyed in the Great Fire, the present church was built by Wren in 1677-84. There was a churchyard by 1231 to the south of the church, which was mentioned by Charles Dickens in 'Our Mutual Friend', who described the graves 'conveniently and healthfully elevated above the living'. The churchyard is now laid out as public gardens with a raised area of grass, trees and shrubbery on either side of the path from the entrance on St Peter's Alley. Surmounted on the Victorian wrought iron gates is a small figure of St Peter. The garden was re-landscaped in 1997.
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.
George Yard had long existed as a narrow alleyway and was opened out in 1929-32 to provide a large paved courtyard as office development took place, becoming George Square. It has changed over the C20th as new building has taken place. In 1986-94 Barclays Bank built new premises here with the main entrance onto George Square, where 5 decorative reliefs commissioned for the Bank's previous premises at Lombard Street were mounted, showing old street signs of former properties and occupants of the site. The courtyard is largely hard landscaped.
