Medieval churches in Leadenhall and Bishopsgate

St Katherine Cree in Leadenhall Street 

Founded in 1280. It took its name from the Holy Trinity Priory, "Cree" being a corrupted abbreviation of "Christ Church"

Local parishioners had previously attended the priory church but this proved unsatisfactory and disruptive to the priory's activities, so a new separate church was founded - St Katherine Cree 'so the canons be not disturbed by the presence of laity'

St Andrew Undershaft

The first church on the site, which today is bordered by St. Mary Axe and Leadenhall Street, was built in medieval times, being first recorded in 1147.

St Andrew's Church dates from at least the early 12th century and has a 15th century tower.

Perpendicular gothic style now a Grade 1 listed building.

One of the few surviving pre-Restoration churches in the City

Tower was built in 1532 during the reign of Henry VIII 

Undershaft takes its name from the shaft of the great maypole set up near there each year until 1547, when it was chopped up as a pagan idol.

This was so tall that its wooden shaft rose even higher than the bell tower, hence the church was literally 'under [the] shaft'. 

6 bells and a clock tower

Survived the Great Fire of London in 1666, The Blitz during the second world war and an IRA bomb in 1992.

St Mary Axe

The name St Mary Axe, some speculation! 

The street either takes its name from the mediaeval church of St Mary Axe or St Mary the Virgin, St Ursula and the Eleven Thousand Virgins. 

Why the ‘Axe’? There really was an axe, supposedly kept in the church

The legend goes: St Ursula was on a pilgrimage with her numerous 11,000 handmaidens had the misfortune to meet Attila the Hun in a very bad temper. He set about the ladies with three axes, one of which was subsequently kept in the church as a holy relic. 

According to John Stow in his 'Survey of London' an alternative reason for the name is given as being merely from a sign of an axe over the east end of the church. Its patrons were from the Worshipful Company of Skinners, who used such axes....

The reason why the axe came to be on display in this church still remains a mystery....

The church and axe have long since disappeared in 1560 leaving just the curious street name.

As you walk along St Mary Axe,  look at the wall of Browns Buildings and you can see the plaque showing where the church once stood.

St Helens Bishopsgate

Described as 'the Westminster Abbey of the City' St Helens was once a Benedictine Nunnery founded in 1204, until it was dissolved in 1538.

Designed with two parallel naves, dividing it into two; one side for the parishioners and the other for the nuns.

It has two separate doorways: the left doorway is 16th century and the right is 14th century

It was the parish church of William Shakespeare when he lived in the area. 

St Helens was one of only a few City of London churches to survive both the Great Fire of London of 1666 and the Blitz during WW2. In 1992 and 1993 the church was badly damaged by two IRA bombs.