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'50 Years On' The Commemorative DVD
Cathedral of Fleet Street
Written & Presented by Canon David Meara
Directed & Edited by Tim Meara
Camera: Fergus Meiklejohn & Alvaro Ramirez
Design: Luke Alexander
Photography: Jochen Braun
Introduction
The year 2007 marks the 50th anniversary of the rededication
of St Bride’s Church,
Fleet Street, London, which
was restored after war-time
bombing and reopened in December
1957 in the presence
of HM the Queen and HRH
the Duke of Edinburgh.
Since then St Bride’s has established
itself as the church
for the media industry, and
for the commercial firms
who have moved into Fleet
Street in recent years. It
retains strong City links, has
built up an enviable musical
reputation, and is home to
thriving Sunday congregations,
as well as being a major
tourist landmark.
Rebuilding & Rededication
After its destruction in December
1940 the church was
eventually restored due to
the determination and vision
of two men – the Rector, the
Revd Cyril Armitage, M.V.O,
who had been Precentor of
Westminster Abbey for 20
years, and the architect Godfrey
Allen, Surveyor to the
Fabric of St Paul’s Cathedral
for 25 years.
When Cyril Armitage outlined
his aims before the
restoration began, he chose
the theme ‘Beauty for Ashes’,
quoting from Isaiah chapter
61. That vision became a
living reality, and on 19th
December 1957 the church
was rededicated. A new
chapter in the life of St Bride’s
had begun.
The Dewi Morgan Years
In December 1962, the Revd
Dewi Morgan became Rector
of St Bride’s in succession to
Cyril Armitage. His journalistic
interests meant he had an
easy rapport with Fleet Street.
Soon he was helping the Press
Association celebrate their
centenary with a service attended
by the Archbishop of
Canterbury, in March 1968,
when the glass doors at the
West End were dedicated.
He welcomed Billy Graham
to St Bride’s on one of his
London Crusades in 1966.
He oversaw the renewal of
the exhibition space in the
Crypt in 1969, sponsored by
Max Aitken, and organised
the visit of HRH the Prince
of Wales in 1975 when the
Guild of St Bride celebrated
its six hundredth anniversary.
He wrote what is still the
definitive history of St Bride’s
and its parish – ‘Phoenix of
Fleet Street’ published in
November 1973.
The Exodus from Fleet Street
When Canon John Oates
became Rector in October
1984, he arrived from Richmond
to find Fleet Street
much as it had been for fifty
years and more. Those were
the days of hot metal, all
powerful print unions and an
industry based in and around
the parish of St Bride’s. The
area came alive in the evening
and activity continued
into the night. By day lorries
trundled along narrow streets
delivering vast rolls of newsprint,
and overnight vans
rushed out to the railheads to
catch the mail trains.
Soon after Canon Oates arrival
he was plunged into the
controversies and disputes
over restrictive practices in
the industry and the strikes
of 1985. He held an all-night
vigil in January 1986, and
then saw the departure of
the News International titles
to Wapping which heralded
the exodus of the next few
years. When there was the
Beirut hostage crisis of 1987
he again held vigils for John
McCarthy and the other
hostages, and celebrated
with a high-profile service of
thanksgiving on their release.
In 1989 an Appeal raised
money to build the new Assembly
Room and office area,
opened by HRH the Princess
of Wales. During this period
of transition Canon Oates
built good relationships with
the large commercial firms
which moved into Fleet
Street as the presses moved
out, including Freshfields,
KPMG, Goldman Sachs, and
Deloittes as well as olderestablished
companies such as
Reuters and Unilever.
The 21st Century
When Canon David Meara
took over as Rector in November
2000 he determined
to maintain St Bride’s varied
ministry and to develop the
church’s relationship with
the wider media community,
especially television.
The Hostage Altar became
the Journalists’ Altar, a focal
point for the industry and
a place to remember those
from the profession who
have died on active service.
St Bride’s has for many years
held memorial services for
journalists and newspaper
executives. Amongst others
we have commemorated
Farzad Bazoft, killed in Iraq in
1990, John Schofield, a BBC
reporter killed in Croatia in
1995, Kerem Lawton, APTN
cameraman killed in Kosovo
in 2001, and Daniel Pearl of
the Wall Street Journal, murdered
in Pakistan in 2002.
At an impressive service in
October 2003, Sir Trevor
MacDonald unveiled a memorial
to the journalists,
cameramen and support
staff killed in the Iraq War,
and since then we have commemorated
BBC cameraman
Simon Cumbers, and CBS
cameramen Paul Douglas and
James Brolan.
On 11th March 2002 we
hosted a service of celebration
in the presence of HRH
the Prince of Wales to mark
three hundred years of daily
newspapers, at which he unveiled
a plaque commemorating
the first edition of the
Daily Courant, published on
11th March 1702. In 2005
Reuters left its iconic Lutyens
building next door to move
to new premises in Canary
Wharf and we bade them
farewell in a moving service
which again brought together
the great and the good of the
Fourth Estate.
St Bride’s has had particularly
strong historical ties with the
eastern seaboard of America.
The fine reredos in the church
is a memorial to the Pilgrim
Fathers, and in particular to
Edward Winslow, three times
governor of Plymouth Massachusetts,
whose parents
were married at St Bride’s. In
1957 a direct descendent of
Edward Winslow was present
at the unveiling of the reredos
by HM the Queen, and at the
Service of Celebration in November
2007 another Edward
Winslow was present.
There is a plaque in the stalls
in the centre of the church
given by the Overseas Press
Club of America to commemorate
American journalists
who have given their lives
in service beyond their own
shores. After the terrorist attacks
of 11th September 2001
memorial services were held
in St Bride’s, and American
journalists in London were
invited to a special service of
remembrance.
On 15th November 2007 a
plaque was unveiled at the
west end of the church to
commemorate Wynkyn de
Worde, Father of Fleet Street,
who first brought his printing
press here from Westminster
in 1500. Ever since, words
have played a huge part in
the work and ministry of this
church, and the life of the nation.
St Bride’s continues to
stand for the reconciliation of
all our words with the word
that is God, and to be a standard-
bearer for free speech in
an embattled world.
Canon David Meara
November 2007
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