St Margaret Pattens

St Margaret Pattens stands on Eastcheap near the Monument in the City of London. It is a Church of England church dedicated to Saint Margaret of Antioch. The present building was designed by Sir Christopher Wren in 1687 after earlier wooden and stone churches were lost. The tower now houses the office of the Archdeacon of Hackney. Since 1954 it has served as a guild church with a weekday congregation of office workers. The church is a Grade I listed building. The church is known for its 200-foot spire, Wren’s only medieval-style spire and his third highest in London. Inside, the simple rectangular space contains unusual fittings including the only canopied pews in London. These 17th-century pews were meant for churchwardens and one bears the initials CW. A punishment box carved with the Devil’s head marks where wrongdoers once sat during services. The name may come from pattens, raised wooden or iron-soled overshoes once worn in the streets. Parishioners would remove them before entering, and the church has long been linked with the Worshipful Company of Pattenmakers. Another theory suggests it honours Ranulf Patin, a medieval canon at St Paul’s Cathedral. The church’s quiet weekday services and historic fittings make it a distinctive place in the City.