We should all sing the praises of the churches of the City of London

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Working in the heart of London’s historic financial district, one is never far from the church. Sometimes limited by tall buildings or blocked by offices, commuters may see many things as they rush to and from work, hearing the sound of music or perhaps bells. But how many of us really appreciate this wonderful part of the City’s heritage?

“Often people come in and say, ‘I’ve worked on the corner for 35 years, but I’ve never been in here before,'” says the Reverend Canon Alison Joyce, rector of St Bride’s, a parish church. of news in Fleet Street. .

He has made it his mission to encourage people of all faiths and none to come in and experience Wren’s Grade I listed masterpiece and the 2,000 years of history on which its foundations are based.

Entering and exploring its secrets is a profound experience at any time of the year, but especially at Christmas. There has been a church on this site since the 6th century, as evidenced by a small medieval chapel in the crypt.

After St Bride’s and many other churches in the City were destroyed by the Great Fire of London in 1666, 51 of them were rebuilt – most by Sir Christopher Wren – only to be destroyed again in the Blitz.

It’s a miracle that so many have survived, but some wonder how long their doors can stay open.

Urban churches are much more than places of worship. They have a rich and fascinating history, important to all of London. You don’t have to be a regular churchgoer or Christian to appreciate this – but the chances of you wandering in and finding it by mistake are slimming down.

Of the 40 or so churches in the Square Mile that still exist, not all are always open to the public. Friends of the City Churches organizes volunteer churchwardens to facilitate a well-organized weekday visit. But financial challenges abound, given the ever-increasing costs of maintaining listed monuments.

Many assume that the Church of England or the government would cover the costs, but Joyce points out that St Bride’s and other churches are self-sustaining and rely on donations.

Across the UK, church attendance remains below pre-pandemic levels. However, what is unique about the churches of the City of London is that the congregations are temporary – this part of the capital’s bustling population may include the wealthiest people in the whole country, but it disappears at the weekend.

And while thousands of City workers flock to carol services before Christmas, very few attend weekday services regularly. The few churches that hold Sunday services depend on walk-in congregations. The introduction of a congestion charge from midday on weekends is not timed for services starting at 11am, but requests for an hourly extension are already in place. ears.

However, the churches have shown a great deal of work in adapting to the modern needs of weekday workers and attracting them in.

One of the favorite lunch spots for Financial Times journalists is Cafe downstairsa restaurant in the crypt of St Mary and Bow church in Cheapside, a stone’s throw from our office. A few minutes’ walk in the opposite direction, you’ll find The Wren Coffee, located within St Nicholas Cole Abbey, described as the best coffee shop in London. It’s also the only place I know of that sells the London Fog – an Earl Gray latte that, when laced with honey, has been known to help a few colleagues who are facing close periods.

Some of the City’s churches are popular for music, concerts and carols. St Andrew’s in Holborn is always welcoming City Orchestra. And if you haven’t heard the world-renowned choir of St Bride’s, you haven’t lived. However, the church also attracts new people by offering something that is rare even in the hustle and bustle of the City – complete silence.

When Joyce became rector ten years ago, he was impressed by the number of City workers he could see through the glass windows hard at work in their offices at half past eleven at night. . His answer was to find a A Place of Silence. Every day of the week at four o’clock in the evening, the church lights are dimmed, candles are lit and all who come are welcome to sit, meditate, pray if they want and have a place of silence and silence.

He says: “If you can meet such silence again, it helps you to have a certain vision regardless of whether you are a person of faith or not. So if you happen to walk past the Town church and find the door open, there’s every reason to go inside to find the treasures inside.

Claire Barrett is the FT’s consumer editor

claire.barrett@ft.com Instagram @Claerb