St Mary Aldermary

St Mary Aldermary stands on Bow Lane at the junction with Watling Street in the City of London. A church has occupied the site since the 11th century or earlier. Its name suggests it is the oldest of the City churches dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The present building dates mainly from the 17th century after two rebuildings. Sir Christopher Wren’s office rebuilt it in Gothic style after the Great Fire. The tower, aisles and fan-vaulted ceilings show Wren’s late Gothic revival design. The church is worth visiting for its place in London’s history. It was the burial place of Sir Henry Keeble, whose bones were later displaced by monuments to two former Lord Mayors. John Milton married his third wife here in 1663. Nikolaus Pevsner called it the chief surviving monument of 17th-century Gothic revival in the City. It survived bomb damage in the Second World War and was restored in 2005. Today it serves commuters as a guild church and hosts a café open on weekdays. Inside, the aisled nave has six bays with clustered columns and flattened Gothic arches. The plaster fan vaulting is richly decorated. The tower is entered through a western lobby and rises in storeys to octagonal turrets. The organ, moved to the chancel in 1877, was built by George England. Morning and evening sessions offer meditative space, while the weekday café welcomes workers. The church also houses the Moldovan Orthodox congregation.