St Michael Queenhithe

St Michael Queenhithe was a church in the City of London, once standing beside the old Queenhithe dock on the north bank of the Thames. First recorded in the 12th century, it survived until the Great Fire of 1666. Rebuilt by Sir Christopher Wren’s office, the church served the ward and dock for two centuries before being demolished in 1876. Its parish merged with Holy Trinity the Less after the Fire, and later with St James Garlickhythe. The site now lies beneath Upper Thames Street, though part of the churchyard survives under Fur Trade House. The church was unusual among Wren’s designs for its painted decorations. In 1721 Sir James Thornhill, painter of St Paul’s ceilings, worked on the altar painting. A new organ by George England and Hugh Russell was installed in 1779. The tower stood in the northwest corner, topped by a ziggurat-like steeple crowned with a ship-shaped vane. A brass sphere below held a bushel of grain, recalling the dock’s corn trade. Today the vane is preserved on St Nicholas Cole Abbey’s spire. The church’s footprint is marked by a footbridge over Upper Thames Street. The dock and ward keep the name alive, though the building itself has vanished. Only fragments and records remain of a church that once drew Charles II and James II to watch the Great Fire from its rooftops.