The Douglas independent. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 187?-1885, 1879-08-09
Id I..ndon I Ilurclles.
[lnpaon Telegraph JuIy 5tn.]


at least-haye been so ruthlessly pulled
down. st. Mary Somerset, which was
anciently spelled Summers Hith,
probably from its contiguity to "hith"
or wharf, the owner of which bore the
name of Summer, was dedicated to the
Virgin. OF the ancient structure, which
was destroyed in the great fire, little is
known, save that it was in existence at
the beginning of the reign of Edward
III. The church lately demolished by
the orders of the Ecclesiastical Commits
sioners was built under the directions of
Sir Christopher Wren. The church
tower was entirely Independent of the
body of the church. A bishop Of Here
ford bearing the somewhat militant
name of ..Ironsides'' was buried in the
chaneel. st. Dionis Blackchurch, which
has been hopelessly demolished, but the
site of which is still to be disposed Of,
was dedicated to Dionysius the Areo-
pagite, who was baptized by st. Paul,
and was afterward beheaded in France,
where he is known and reverenced as st.
Denis. His church in London was
called tBlackchurch, from the circum-
stance that church dedicated to st.
Gabriel anciently stood right in front of
st. Dionis, in the roadway of Fenchurch
street. st. Dionis Blackchurch dated
from the thirteenth century, and it was
burned in 1865. In 1874 it was rebuilt,
with the exception of the tower, by Sir
Christopher Wren. Ten years afterward
the tower was added, the designs being
again furnished by the illustrious
architect of st. Paups. st. Benets,
Gracechurch street, was also one
of Sir Christopher's churches
According to Stow, its title
had nothing to do with Grace, and its
proper name was Grass Church, because
the herb market was held opposite its
western door. The parish books of St.
Benet's, or Benedict's, have not, it is to
be presumed, been sold with the mate
rails of the church as old rubish. Those
old tones contain some curious entries;
one, for example, at the accession of Mary
in 1853, .tPayde to plasterer for wash
ing Owte and defacing such Scriptures as
in the tyne of King Edward VI. were
written about the church and walls; and
payde the paynters for making the Roode,
with Mary and john and five years
later, at the accession of Elizabeth,
t'Payde to the carpenter for pulling down
the Roode, with Mary and John, four
shilnngs and two pence. The tower of
the vanished st. Benet's, with its cupola
and spire, was 40 feet high. st. Mil
dred's had also been destroyed in the
fire, and rebuilt by Wren, when it was
united with the parish of st. Mary S
Colechurch, an ancient incumbent of
which had been Peter OF Colechurch, one
of the builders of old London Bridge.
st. Martins, or Othowich, was four
teenth century building, in the pointed
- d. -,
1866, but was seriously injured by fire
which took place in 1865, and it was
wholly rebuilt in 1895 by Mr.. Cockerell.
Here was very fine picture of the Res
direction" by famous French painter,
to be hoped has been preserved. st.
Antholin, formerly in Budge-row, at the
corner of Sise lane, where now is Queen
Victoria street, was of ancient founda-
~4iSn, beikg mentioned in the twelfth CEN
turv. n was burnt in the fire, and re-
built in 1884 by Wren. The interior had
an oval dome, supported by eight columns
and the carpentery of the roof was re-
carded as a superb specimen of Sir Chris
topher's constructive skill. The tower was
one hundred and fifty-four feet high.
Another of Wrens churches was the now
demolished st. Michael's, Queenhithe,
built in 1877. 1t was chiefly remarkable
for its spire, 135 feet high, surmounted
by q gilt yane in the shape of ship in
full sail. The hull, it is said. was large
enough to contain q bushel of grain.
Oueenhithe had been known for centu-
ries as a place where corn was landed.
All Hallows, Bread street, was also one
of Wren's churches, and was built in
1880. In its predecessor, destroyed IN
the fire, John Milton was baptized, but
alas even so long as 20 years ago the
Sunday congregations at All Hallows,
Bread street, had sunk to the deplorable
average of nine-and the site was so
very valuable! All Hallows Staining,
in Mark lane, escaped the great fire, but
was frequently altered and repaired, and
of the building which has now dlsap-
peared only the tower and portion OF the
west wall were ancient. 1t was, never
theless, historically, o most interesting
church. Here, in 1854, after her liberia
ton from the Tower, the Princess Eliza
beth performed her devotions, and tradi-
ton says that the future "good Queen
Bess," having said her prayers, after
wards dined on pork and peas pudding
at the Kings Head in Fenchurch street.
To this melancholy list of demolished
churches would assuredly have been
added, but for the strenuous efforts OF
the Society for the Protection of Ancient
Buildings. the interesting st. Mary-at-
Hill, Eastcheap This evidence, hap
PLY still standing, was built by Wren
after the great fire. The Society was
unable to save st. Dionis Backchurch;
but, in spite of vigorous opposition, they
succeeded for time in rescuing the
church of st. Mary-at-Hill from its inn
pending fate. We say for time, as the
clemency extended by the Ecclesiastical
Commissioners to the edifice in Eastcheap
may prove to have been more in the
nature of respite than a reprieve. In
the case of st. Mary, the Committee of
the Ancient Buildings Protection Society
were materially helped by the city
churches and church-yard societies. Ow-
ing, however, to the wide-sweeping pow
ers of the Union of Benefces Act, the
existence of the remaining churches is
being continually threatened, and the
greatest vigilance is necessary to enable
the society to obtain early information
OF any proposed demolition, and to pre-
vent a surprise. The Ancient Buildings
Protection Society, whose second annual
meeting was held on Saturday last, have
hoe lalleu, III tHelr report, 10 d1fecI at-
tention to the architectural loss which
the metropolis and the country Mt large
would sustain by the continuous disap-
pearanee of these interesting, venerable,
and in many cases handsome, structures,
which give at once rest and qualification
to the eye amid the hurry and turmoil of
London life. The Ecclesiastical Com
nlissioners, on the other hand, are GER
fainly not expected to concern them
selves, in their corporate capacity at
least, with archaeology or ecclesioiopy.
Reasoning from the patent fact that most
of the city churches have small congre-
cations, they have pulled and are pull
ing, and will continue to pull down as
many churches as they can, selling the
sites for as much money as they can ret
for them, equitably apportioning the
charitable endowments of the disestab-
lished churches to neighboring and
deserving charities, and making large
grants for church building purposes in
outlying districts where the potential
congregations are large and where the
existing church accommodations is in
sufficient. 1t is pity that this system
of uprooting old churches and planting
new ones in the suburbs cannot be car
ried on without depriving the City of
London of a number of historical land