St Andrew-by-the-Wardrobe

St Andrew-by-the-Wardrobe is a Church of England church on Queen Victoria Street in the City of London, close to Blackfriars station. It shares its building with the London headquarters of the Coptic Orthodox Church and the Archbishop of London, Anba Angaelos. The church stands on a terrace above the street, its red-brick exterior plain beside the stone buildings around it. Inside, the aisles are supported by piers rather than columns, giving the space an unusual rhythm. Many fittings were salvaged from other churches destroyed in the war, including a weathervane from St Michael Bassishaw and a pulpit from St Matthew, Friday Street. The church’s history begins before 1170, when it was linked to Baynard’s Castle, a royal residence. In 1361 Edward III moved his Royal Wardrobe next to the church, and the name ‘by-the-Wardrobe’ came from this royal storehouse. After the Great Fire of 1666, Sir Christopher Wren rebuilt it in 1695 as one of his simpler designs. The Blitz in 1940 gutted the interior, but the tower and walls remained. Rebuilt and rededicated in 1961, it now holds a Grade I listing. A figure of St Andrew from around 1600 stands in the sanctuary, and a rare north Italian statue of St Anne with the Virgin and Child dates to about 1500. William Shakespeare lived in the parish for fifteen years while working at the Blackfriars Theatre and later bought a house nearby. A memorial to him was placed in the church. Sunday services are led by the St Gregorios congregation of the Indian Orthodox Church. The interior arcades and piers create a quiet, orderly space, while the borrowed fittings add layers of history. The church’s plain exterior hides a rich past, from royal wardrobes to wartime survival.