St Mary Aldermanbury ⁹⁰⁶¹

Brief Description

Following WWII bomb damage, the church and churchyard site was acquired by the Corporation of London with residual land from Wood Street Police Station, and laid out as public gardens. The footings of the C15th church, over which Wren had built, remain in the lawn in the east of the garden. To the west is a monument to John Heminge and Henry Condell, fellow actors of Shakespeare, after whose death in 1616 they collected his works and published them at their own personal expense.

History

St Mary Aldermanbury may derive its name from the Aldermans' Berry or Court Hall, which stood nearby, or from a family by the name of Aldermanbir associated with the church. There was a church by at least 1181 and a churchyard by c1250. The old church was largely destroyed in the Great Fire of 1666 and rebuilt by Christopher Wren.

Visitor Facilities