On this day in 1635, the Court ordered that £10 be paid to the Churchwardens of the Church of St Alban, Wood Street, towards its rebuilding. This payment is recorded in the Wardens’ Great Accompt Book covering 1603-1659 (archive ref: D/2/1) and a photograph of the entry can be seen at the bottom of this page.
The church on Wood Street, London is dedicated to Saint Alban who is venerated as the first recorded British Christian martyr having been beheaded in Verulamium, modern day St Albans, in the third or fourth century. There has been a church on the Wood Street site since the medieval period, but by 1633 the building had fallen into a state of disrepair so in 1634 it was rebuilt – hence the donation from the Barbers’ Company. This church was destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666 and was rebuilt again between 1682 and 1687 to a Gothic design by Sir Christopher Wren.
Like many others, this Wren church was severely damaged by bombing during the Second World War. It was hit on 29 December 1940 in the same bombing raid which destroyed Barber-Surgeons’ Hall. Once the rubble was cleared from the ruins only the bell tower remained which now stands alone in the middle of the street.
2023 is the tercentenary of Christopher Wren’s death which is being commemorated by a series of events through the year. More information can be found here.
