St Helen's Bishopsgate

St Helen’s Bishopsgate stands in the City of London, off Bishopsgate in Great St Helen’s. It is the largest surviving parish church in the City and contains more monuments than any other church in Greater London except Westminster Abbey. The church has survived both the Great Fire of 1666 and the Blitz, and it was once the parish church of William Shakespeare. A nunnery once stood beside it, built in 1210 for Benedictine nuns, and the church still shows traces of its divided past. The Worshipful Company of Merchant Taylors now acts as patron of the benefice. The church is worth visiting for its unusual history and its role in London’s religious life. It was home to a nunnery in the Middle Ages, later dissolved during the Reformation, and its two-nave layout still reflects that time. The Victorian restorations by John Loughborough Pearson introduced ornate screens and altars, while the 1990s restoration removed many of these to return to a simpler, preaching-focused arrangement. The church’s survival through centuries of upheaval makes it a notable landmark. Inside, the church offers a wide open space with clear views to the pulpit and lectern. The organ, restored to its original position, sits in a new gallery at the west end. The south transept now opens into the former chancel, and a restored Georgian communion table stands at the centre. The clear-glazed windows let in natural light, and the floor, levelled after wartime damage, allows for underfloor heating. The building’s history is visible in its masonry, screens, and monuments, making it a place where past and present meet.