St Lawrence Jewry

St Lawrence Jewry is a Church of England guild church in the City of London on Gresham Street, next to the Guildhall.

History

The church was originally built in the twelfth century and dedicated to St Lawrence (the instrument of whose martyrdom, the gridiron, can still be seen on the present church's weathervane.) The church is near the former medieval Jewish ghetto, which was centred on the street named Old Jewry.

The church was destroyed in the Great Fire of London and rebuilt by Christopher Wren between 1670 and 1687. It suffered extensive damage during the blitz on December 29, 1940, but the bombing also destroyed buildings around the church affording passersby a wider view of it. It was restored in 1957 by Cecil Brown to Wren's original design. It is no longer a parish church but a guild church. It is the official...
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