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ST STEPHEN WALBROOK  |
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St Stephen Walbrook |
The finest of Sir Christopher Wren's city churches |
St Stephen Walbrook is considered the finest of Sir Christopher Wren’s city churches. It is in fact the Lord Mayor’s parish church. Dating back to a Saxon church from the 7th century, it is on the former site of the River Walbrook, which now runs underground. It originally stood on the west bank of the stream, but was rebuilt around the mid 15th century on the east side. The church was then destroyed in the great fire of London in 1666. |
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Did you know? |
In the vault beneath the church is the grave of Sir John Vanbrugh, who died in 1726. He was the architect of Castle Howard and Blenheim Palace. |
Sir Christopher Wren designed and built the current church in the late 17th century. From the outside it is quite plain, with a classic square tower. This all changes however when you go inside and discover the magnificent 63-feet high dome with its ornate plasterwork. There is no doubt that Wren built this dome as a prototype for St Paul’s and it is centred over a square of twelve columns. |
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Looking up into the dome |
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Beneath the dome |
Two interesting features can be found inside the church. The first is the massive white polished stone altar, created by the sculptor Sir Henry Moore. It was placed here in 1987, and has earned the nickname “Camembert”. |
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The second is the telephone in the glass box. This is a tribute to Dr Chad Varah, a rector of St Stephens, who in 1953 installed a telephone in the crypt of the church as a hot-line for people in emotional need. The phone was manned by volunteers who became known as Samaritans. Today over 17,000 volunteer staff operate a 24-hour 365 days-a-year service offering emotional support, not just by telephone, but also via email and even text message. |
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Did you know? |
A report showed that 94% of 18-24 year olds send personal text messages. In 2004 the Mobile Data Association recorded that 81 million text messages were sent on August 19th - the day that 'A' levels results were announced in the UK - another annual peak period of emotional support activity for the Samaritans. |
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The Magnificent Church Organ |
The Church is open daily. |
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