St Augustine Watling Street

St Augustine Watling Street was an Anglican church beside St Paul’s Cathedral in the City of London. First recorded in the 12th century, it stood on the north side of Watling Street at the corner with Old Change. The medieval church was enlarged in the 13th century and partly rebuilt in 1630–31. After the Great Fire of 1666 it was rebuilt to designs by Christopher Wren, opening in 1683. The church was destroyed by bombing in 1941 and its remains now form part of St Paul’s Cathedral Choir School. The church is worth the journey for its long history and notable figures. John Stow called it a fair church in the late 16th century. In 1764 John Douglas became rector and later became Bishop of Carlisle and of Salisbury. Richard Harris Barham, author of the Ingoldsby Legends, served as rector from 1842 until his death in 1845. The church’s cat, Faith, became famous for her actions during the Second World War air raid. Visitors find the remains of the church incorporated into the choir school. The foundations of the medieval and Wren buildings were revealed in 1965. A Grade I listed building, the tower was restored in 1954 and later became part of the new choir school. Faith the cat is buried in the churchyard of St Paul’s Choir School, marked by a stone with the words ‘Faith the cat who defied the London Blitz’.