News from Friends of the City Churches

This is the issue of City Events which covers the holiday period. The Friends’ City Churches Annual Walks in June are over for another year and some of the normal events in City Churches are temporarily suspended as the regular City business workers take off to foreign climes for holidays with their families.

But their places are filled by visitors to London both from England and further afield. We welcome you and hope you will understand that the City is unusual in having few services in its churches on Sundays (and many churches are therefore closed) because of its small residential population but that its mission and ministry to visitors during weekdays is very much alive and thriving.

The Friends of the City Churches are part of this activity, and our Church Watching will continue as normal although our own "open office" arrangements at our base in St Magnus the Martyr church will be temporarily suspended during August.

Watchers from the Friends of the City Churches allow some of the City churches with few staff to open when otherwise they would be closed to visitors and worshippers. So do take advantage of these days and times: St Martin within Ludgate (Ludgate Hill): Mondays 11am-3pm, St Dunstan in the West (Fleet Street): Tuesdays 11am-3pm, St Ethelburga (Bishopsgate): Wednesdays 11am-3pm, St Magnus the Martyr (Lower Thames Street, near London Bridge): Wednesdays 2-4, St James Garlickhythe (Lower Thames Street/Garlick Hill): Thursdays 11am-3pm and finally, All Hallows London Wall: Fridays 11am-3pm.

Unfortunately our regular watch at St Mary Aldermary, Bow Lane has been suspended but we look forward to its re-opening in 2005. This wonderful Guild Church opposite Mansion House Tube Station with its splendid tower is closed for major refurbishment. We are enormously proud to be associated with this church as we have used it for our base on many of the Annual City Churches Walks, and our members have contributed generously as the "Project for the Year" to part of the refurbishment, viz the cleaning and refurbishment of the memorials inside the north aisle. The church is from Wren’s office but the tower is from 1701-4 and some say it is by Hawksmoor. The church’s re-opening will be a wonderful treat for the eyes.

But there is much to see in many of the remaining churches and many have simple descriptive leaflets to purchase if you do not possess a formal City church guide such as Pevsner, or Middleton and Hatts’ London City Churches. The Friends of the City Churches also have published a pocket guide for only £2, available in some churches or by post from our office for £2.50.

For more details about us, to join with us as a Friend or even train to be a Church Watcher and play your own part in keeping these wonderful buildings open for all please contact:~

Friends of the City Churches, St Magnus the Martyr, Lower Thames Street, London EC3R 6DN tel 020 7626 1555

e-mail      www.london-city-churches.org.uk