Description
The medieval Tower of All Hallows Staining is all that remains of a church that was on this site from 1218/9. The tower is thought to be that of the second church, enlarged in 1615, which survived the Great Fire in 1666 but collapsed in 1671 probably owing to the weakening of its foundations caused by the large number of burials in the churchyard. Although it was rebuilt in 1674 the church was demolished in 1870, and the site sold to the Clothworkers' Company who restored the tower in 1872/3 when the C12th crypt of Lambe's Chapel was rebuilt here. The Tower is now within a small paved public garden, surrounded by railings.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | All Hallows Staining |
|---|---|
| Site location | Mark Lane |
| Postcode | EC3R 7BB |
| What3Words | ///scale.beard.fonts |
| Type of Site | Public Gardens |
| Borough | City of London |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | weekdays |
| Public Transport | Rail: Fenchurch Street. Tube: Aldgate (Metropolitan, Circle) |
| Research Updated | 1 May 2010 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
The medieval tower of All Hallows Staining is situated between the Clothworkers' Hall and the north wall of Dunster Court, Minster Lane. The church here dated from 1218/9, and the tower, which is all that remains, was from c1320, thought to be that of the second church on the site. There is a story, unconfirmed, that Princess Elizabeth who enjoyed the sound of the bells while in the Tower, attended this church after her release on 19 May 1554 and gave the church a new bell rope, after which an annual dinner was held on that day, later altered to the date of her accession as Elizabeth I. The church bell, said to be oldest in the City, dated from 1458 and is now in Grocers' Hall, the parish and church having been acquired by the Grocers' Company some time after the Reformation. The church was enlarged in 1615 and although it survived the Great Fire in 1666, it then partially collapsed in 1671 probably owing to the weakening of its foundations caused by the large number of burials in the adjoining churchyard. The church was rebuilt in 1674 but in 1870 it was demolished and the parish amalgamated with that of St Olave Hart Street (q.v.).
The site was sold to the Clothworkers' Company, whose Hall was adjacent to the church, on condition that the medieval tower was preserved in good order. It was restored in 1872-3 when the crypt of Lambe's Chapel was brought here by the Company and placed beneath the tower. The former site of Lambe's Chapel had been by London Wall in Monkwell Street near the current Monkwell Square (q.v.). It was originally the C12th chapel of St James in the Wall, which at the Dissolution of the Monasteries was given in 1543 to William Lambe. Lambe was Master of the Clothworkers' Company in 1569-70, and the chapel was later named after him. Lambe is known for bringing water to that part of London later crossed by Lamb's Conduit Street. The chapel had been demolished and rebuilt in 1825 and one of its brasses survives in St Olave's Hart Street.
Between 1948 and 1954 the Tower of All Hallows Staining formed the chancel of a pre-fabricated church known as St Olave Mark Street that was used following the World War II damage to St Olave Hart Street. The Tower is now within a small paved public garden, which has a number of tombstones.
The site was sold to the Clothworkers' Company, whose Hall was adjacent to the church, on condition that the medieval tower was preserved in good order. It was restored in 1872-3 when the crypt of Lambe's Chapel was brought here by the Company and placed beneath the tower. The former site of Lambe's Chapel had been by London Wall in Monkwell Street near the current Monkwell Square (q.v.). It was originally the C12th chapel of St James in the Wall, which at the Dissolution of the Monasteries was given in 1543 to William Lambe. Lambe was Master of the Clothworkers' Company in 1569-70, and the chapel was later named after him. Lambe is known for bringing water to that part of London later crossed by Lamb's Conduit Street. The chapel had been demolished and rebuilt in 1825 and one of its brasses survives in St Olave's Hart Street.
Between 1948 and 1954 the Tower of All Hallows Staining formed the chancel of a pre-fabricated church known as St Olave Mark Street that was used following the World War II damage to St Olave Hart Street. The Tower is now within a small paved public garden, which has a number of tombstones.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ332808 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 0.0661 |
| Site Ownership | City of London Corporation |
| Site Management | Open Spaces Dept. Tower and Crypt maintained by the Clothworkers' Company |
| Dates | C13th; C20th |
| Listed Structures | LBI: Tower of All Hallows Staining. LBII: Lambe's Chapel Crypt |
| 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 |
Gallery
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Nearby parks and gardens
Fen Court is the site of the former churchyard of St Gabriel Fenchurch, which was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1666 and not rebuilt, the parish then joining St Margaret Pattens, now within that of St Edmund the King and St Mary Woolnoth. A churchyard is recorded as existing in 1331 and was probably walled from the C16th. Before WWII the railed burial ground had tombs, a number of trees and a central walk. In 1960 it was laid out as a paved open space with raised beds, a few trees, seating and three C18th chest tombs remaining. It was later re-landscaped with new paving, seating and planting; in 2008 a public sculpture was unveiled by Archbishop Desmond Tutu entitled 'Gilt of Cain', which commemorates the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade.
St Olave is the smallest intact medieval church in the City, first recorded in the late C12th. A stone church replaced the earlier building in the C13th, and the current building is primarily C15th although it was rebuilt in 1951-4. It has strong associations with the nearby Navy Office and Corporation of Trinity House. Samuel Pepys, who was buried here, called it 'Our own Church'. There was a churchyard by 1345 and well-preserved burial registers from 1563 onwards include a record of Mother Goose buried on 14 September 1586. Charles Dickens referred to it as 'My best beloved churchyard, the churchyard of St Ghastly Grim' in The Uncommercial Traveller. The entrance is via a gateway of 1658 that has a pediment with carved skull and crossbones. Until the early C20th the churchyard had many tombs set in grass but prior to 1920 it was laid out as a garden with a path from the gateway to the south door of the church, with some gravestones set against the walls.
St Katherine Coleman Church existed here by 1346, rebuilt probably in the C15th and then replaced in 1739/40 by a new brick church, which was eventually demolished in 1926. There were extensive vaults accessed from the west of the church where graves were dug rather than coffins deposited therein. The former churchyard's stone gate piers and railings remain on St Katherine's Row, where there is a plaque recording the site of the church. The churchyard survives as a small public garden owned by Lloyd's Register of Shipping. It was re-landscaped as part of the new development by Richard Rogers for Lloyds' Register in 1996-2000, and is largely hard-surfaced with two mature trees, raised beds, seating and a fountain.
