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At the time of the destruction of St Bride's, three members of today's congregation who witnessed the devastation in December 1940, must have had doubts as to whether the church would ever rise again here in Fleet Street. But the rest of the story, to quote an age-old saying, is history.
Continue reading "Eyewitness Reports of the Destruction of St Bride's" »
After the Great Fire of London in 1666 St Bride's was rebuilt to the designs of Sir Christopher Wren, one of his most expensive and elaborate churches.
Since the sixteenth century the area was particularly associated with printing and latterly newspaper-making, so that St Bride's became known as the journalists' church. During the Blitz the church was fire-bombed on the night of 29th December, 1940, and the nave was completely destroyed. In 1953 the work of reconstruction began, and the beautifully restored church was rededicated, in the presence of Her Majesty the Queen and Prince Philip Duke of Edinburgh, on 19th December 1957.
After the rededication in 1957 St Bride's continued its ministry to the newspaper world of Fleet Street, hosting baptisms, weddings and memorial services, as well as offering regular weekday worship for those who worked in the area.
"The dome of St Paul's seemed to ride the sea of fire like a great ship lifting above the smoke and flames the inviolable ensign of the golden cross." So reported The Times on the night when few Londoners slept as the Luftwaffe executed one of the great incendiary raids of the war. St Bride's was not to fare well."
We are indeed fortunate that when the time came to rebuild St. Bride's after the war there was a band of visionaries, led by the then incumbent, Cyril Armitage, who ensured that Fleet Street should have a twentieth-century church worthy of its long history. But there is also another romance which must be recorded.
