All Hallows By The Tower Church

Mientras esperaba que llegaran unos amigos para tomar café por la zona, me resguardé aquí dentro mientras tanto.
La fachada de la iglesia es bastante austera y el interior tampoco es de lo más glorioso pero lo que destaca es la cripta. Cuando bajas por las escaleras, entras en otro mundo. Aquí es lo que queda de la iglesia primitiva de origen sajón fundado en 675 y también hay restos de un pavimento teselado de una casa romana del siglo II. Una grata sorpresa!

Came here for services on Sunday. It was amazing to know that I was partaking in a process that has been going strong in this location since the 6^th century. After services were over, I went downstairs to check out the «underground» and crypt — probably one of the coolest things I’ve seen whilst in London. Between John and Louisa Adams marriage registry entry and Wiliam Penn’s baptismal registry entry, there are a lot of cool things going on at All Hallows. The fact that there are documents that connect the stories about the place make All Hallows all the more legit and cool to visit!
If you haven’t experienced it, head on down there!

I went to this church, which I’d passed so many times, to look at the display of ancient manuscripts (on until September 22) and ended up staying way longer than I’d planned.
This is actually the oldest church in London and although the above ground parts were extensively rebuilt following the Blitz, the underground has everything from Roman to Saxon and Medieval Templar London and beyond. The small, very old-​fashioned museum in the crypt even has the crows nest from Scott’s Antarctic ship, for some reason! It’s free to visit (although they’re really grateful for any donations) and just across from the Tower of London, so if you happen to be passing, drop in.

Killed time here while we were waiting for the Tower of London to open on Monday morning. It’s free, and there’s some history to be learned. Worth a pop in.

All Hallows is one of the most ancient Christian sites in London and, although not necessarily the most architecturally attractive building, is certainly one of the most historic and interesting, and one of the most accessible — it is open every day. An arch of the original 7^th century Saxon building remains: beneath this, in the crypt, lies a section of an original Roman tessellated pavement, nearly 1,800 years old.
Situated on a small rise above the Tower of London, the church was founded in 675AD by the Saxon Abbey of Barking. The building of the Tower of London close by gave it Royal connections, but it also served more gruesome duties: the headless bodies of executed victims were brought here, including those of Thomas More, John Fisher and Archbishop Laud (who was buried here).
Other — and happier — famous associations include William Penn, the founder of Pennsylvania, who was baptised here in 1644 — his father, Admiral William Penn was a church member here. Another with an American connection, John Quincy Adams, the sixth President of the USA, was married here in 1797, as was the notorious Judge Jeffries in 1667.
The church itself was rebuilt substantially throughout the mediaeval period, and mercifully survived the Great Fire of London in 1666, thanks to the efforts of Admiral William Penn who demolished adjacent buildings to create a fire-​break — Samuel Pepys famously watched the fire from the church tower, before recording what he saw in his diary.
Alas, all traces of this history were almost totally wiped out in 1940, when bombing destroyed all but the tower and fragments of the external walls. However, thanks to the church’s energetic and forceful vicar ‘Tubby’ Clayton, rebuilding began in 1948, keeping to the original floorplan, to traditional gothic designs of Lord Mottistone. Some regard this rebuilding as rather dull, but the interior is enlivened by a number of memorials which were saved or painstakingly reconstructed after the War.
These include a fine 16^th century memorial to an Italian merchant, Hieronimus Benalius (d. 1583); the magnificent Croke altar tomb of 1477, in which sits the memorial lamp of the Toc H movement; the beautiful Tate Altar Panel, made in Bruges in 1500; an outstanding collection of some 17 mediaeval memorial brasses, including the Evyngar Brass (1533). There are more memorials in the South Aisle, including that of Francis and Captain Thomas Covell.
But pride of place goes to the beautiful font cover, carved by Grinling Gibbons in 1682, regarded by many as the finest wooden carving in the City: two cherubs flank a tower of fruit and vegetables atop which is a dove. As befits a church so close to the Pool of London, there is also a Mariner’s chapel and a number of models of ships donated in thanksgiving.
The history continues in abundance beneath the church, in the vaults; there are two small crypts for private prayer: the barrel-​vaulted St Francis Chapel, c. 1280, and the tiny vaulted Oratory of St Clare. From beneath the tower is the entrance to the main crypt. The Roman tessellated pavement (from the floor of a 2^nd century house) can clearly be seen on your left as you descend the steep steps, and a smaller portion on the floor of the crypt itself.
Once inside, it is effectively a museum: there are displays of Roman archaeology, church plate, old church registries (All Hallows has one of the most complete collections of these), remnants of a 7^th century Saxon cross from the original foundation, and a lovely model of Roman London. At the end is a small Undercroft chapel, where Archbishop Laud was buried for 20 years after his execution, as well as the location of at least three Saxon coffins (buried pre-​1066). The stone altar is said to have been brought back by 12^th-​Century Crusaders from Castle Athlit in Palestine.
In all, All Hallows provides a fascinating and much over-​looked place to visit. In addition to its religious services, it offers tea and coffee in a small café area, as well as brass rubbing, regular organ recitals and concerts, and occasional exhibitions.