All Hallows-on-the-Wall

All Hallows-on-the-Wall is a Church of England church inside the old Roman wall in the City of London. Its name comes from its position beside London Wall, the city’s former defensive barrier. The present building dates from 1767, when George Dance the Younger designed a plain brick church with a stone tower and classical details. Dance had studied Roman buildings and shaped the interior as a single barrel-vaulted nave ending in a half-dome apse. The exterior shows Ionic columns supporting a frieze rather than a full entablature. The church has long served the poor of the City. In the 19th century the vicar, the Reverend Sir Montague Fowler, ran early services for workers who arrived by train to avoid high fares. Tents in the churchyard offered refreshments, leading to an educational institute behind the building. All Hallows was hit in the Second World War and restored in the 1960s. It remains a guild church linked to the Worshipful Company of Carpenters and once housed the Council for the Care of Churches. Visitors find a calm space of classical proportions with a plain brick exterior and stone tower. Inside, the nave’s barrel vault and half-dome apse recall Roman models. The churchyard contains traces of the old Roman wall and later additions. Today the building hosts XLP, a youth charity, and City Gates Church, which runs projects for local people. Regular events include English classes, live music and community meals, continuing the tradition of service begun centuries ago.