St Bartholomew-by-the-Exchange

St Bartholomew-by-the-Exchange stood on Bartholomew Lane, a narrow street just off Threadneedle Street in the City of London. The church dated from the 13th century, long before the Royal Exchange opened next door in 1571. It was rebuilt after the Great Fire of 1666 by Sir Christopher Wren. The rebuilt church had an irregular plan because it reused the old foundations. Its west front on Bartholomew Lane showed three bays, with a Venetian window above the main door. The church’s interior was divided into a nave and two aisles by two rows of eight columns. A protruding chancel and a south chapel added to its unusual shape. The architectural writer Edward John Carlos called the interior ‘light and graceful’. Myles Coverdale, who created the first complete English Bible, was buried here in 1568. His remains were later moved to St Magnus-the-Martyr after the Great Fire. The church was demolished in 1840 to widen Threadneedle Street after the Royal Exchange burned down. Over a thousand bodies were carefully removed from the churchyard. The parish was united with St Margaret Lothbury, and the proceeds built St Bartholomew Moor Lane. That church was later demolished, and the site now holds the Royal Bank of Scotland building.