Inventory Site Record

St Michael's Church is of early origin, known to have been given to the Abbey and Convent of Evesham in 1055, and in 1503 it was conveyed to the Drapers' Company. The south side of the church had a cloister, and a pulpit cross was erected in the churchyard in 1528. The church was originally open to the north to Cornhill with a small churchyard but this was sold and built over between 1547-53. The church was destroyed in the Great Fire and rebuilt by 1672, the tower initially repaired then rebuilt by 1721. Some of Wren's work was lost when St Michael's was remodelled in 1857-60 by Sir George Gilbert Scott. Many famous people were buried here, including Robert Fabian, John Stow's father and grandfather, and Sir William Cowper. The former churchyard was laid out as a garden with lawns, flower beds, shrubs and trees, and a row of benches against the church wall.

Previous / Other name:

St Michael-upon-Cornhill

Site location:

Cornhill/St Michael's Alley

Postcode:

EC3V 9DS

What 3 Words:

porch.bank.nail

Type of site:

Public Gardens

Borough:

City of London

Open to public?

Yes

Opening times:

As church: Mon-Fri 8.30am-5pm

Special conditions:

Facilities:

Events:

Public transport:

Tube: Bank (Central, DLR, Northern, Waterloo & City) / Monument (Circle, District)

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Google Map    
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Research updated:

01/06/2010

Last minor changes:

19/07/2023

Please check with the site owner or manager for latest news. www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/openspaces

St Michael's Church is of early origin and in 1055 is known to have been given to the Abbey and Convent of Evesham by a priest called Alnothus or Alnod. In 1503 the Abbey conveyed it to the Drapers' Company. William Rus or Rous, Sheriff of London in 1429, was a great benefactor of the church and was buried here in the chapel of St Mary. He left lands and tenements, £100 for an altar in the chancel and £40 towards the new tower or steeple, the old one having burnt down in 1421. The south side of the church originally had a cloister and in the churchyard was a pulpit cross, erected by Sir John Rudstone, Lord Mayor, in 1528, similar to one that used to stand in St Paul's Churchyard (q.v.); the church was originally open to the north to Cornhill with a small churchyard here but this was sold and built over between 1547 and 1553, when 4 houses then separated the church from the busy roadway. The church was destroyed in the Great Fire and rebuilt by Wren by 1672. The tower was initially repaired but eventually needed rebuilding and was completed in 1721 by Nicholas Hawksmoor, with money from the Fifty New Churches Commission following the Fifty New Churches Act of 1711. Some of Wren's work was lost when St Michael's was remodelled in 1857-60 by Sir George Gilbert Scott who also designed the vaulted cloister between the churchyard and St Michael's Alley of 1868. In 1906 the parish was joined by that of St Peter-le-Poer. To the east of the churchyard is the Rectory and Vestry built in 1913-14 by Charles Reilly. A bronze war memorial by the church entrance on Cornhill is by Richard Goulden, dated 1920. Among those buried here was Robert Fabian (d.1511), Alderman of London and sheriff in 1493, best known for his 'Chronicles of England and France'; also the father of John Stow as well as his grandfather, Thomas Stow (d.1526). John Stow himself was buried at St Andrew Undershaft (q.v.). Members of the family of Sir William Cowper (d.1664) were also buried here, with memorials in the church.

The former churchyard was laid out as a garden with a paved path around two sides and areas of lawn, within which at one time there was a circular raised flowerbed, now removed. Flower beds, shrubs and trees are around the perimeter on two sides and a row of benches against the church wall, with gravestones set into the paving. A memorial birdbath is in one of the flowerbeds.

Sources consulted:

B. Cherry and N. Pevsner, 'The Buildings of England, London Vol. l: The Cities of London and Westminster', London, 1985; George Godwin & John Britton 'The Churches of London: A history and description of the Ecclesiastical Edifices of the Metropolis, Volume I', London, 1838; Simon Bradley & Nikolaus Pevsner, 'The Buildings of England, London 1: The City of London', 1997 (1999 ed.); Philip Norman, 'The London City Churches, Their Use, Their Preservation and Their Extended Use', The London Society, (1920s); London Diocesan Advisory Committee for the Care of Churches data; Gerald Cobb 'The Old Churches of London', Batsford, 1942.

Grid ref:

TQ329810 (532949,181085)

Size in hectares:

0.0491

Site ownership:

Diocese of London

Site management:

City of London Corporation Open Spaces Dept. (except for small area of land maintained by church)

Date(s):

medieval; C15, 1670-2; 1857-60

Designer(s):

Listed structures:

LBI: St Michael Cornhill

On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens:

No

Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965:

No

Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931:

No

Local Authority Data

The information below is taken from the relevant Local Authority's planning legislation, which was correct at the time of research but may have been amended in the interim. Please check with the Local Authority for latest planning information.

On Local List:

No

In Conservation Area:

Yes

Conservation Area name:

Bank

Tree Preservation Order:

No

Nature Conservation Area:

No

Green Belt:

No

Metropolitan Open Land:

No

Special Policy Area:

No

Other LA designation:

None

St Michael Cornhill Churchyard, June 2010. Photo: S Williams

Click a photo to enlarge.