Contemplate this. What if St Alphage, Hendon could whisper tales of its parish history? St Alphage is a district church in Hendon St Mary’s Parish. It was built in 1924. This may not seem ancient, but its roots run deep through London’s past.
St Alphage, London Wall is another church. It stood in Bassishaw Ward in the City of London. It was also known as St Alphege Cripplegate. This was due to its proximity to Cripplegate.
The parish of St Alphege used two churches. It moved after the Dissolution of the Monasteries. The first church was built next to the London Wall. The wall formed its northern side. Its churchyard was north of the wall. This original church appears in records from around 1108 to 1125. However some say it was there before 1068.
Parliament closed it in the late sixteenth century. It was then demolished leaving the London Wall. A carpenter’s yard replaced the church. In 1837, it became a public garden. A section of the London Wall remains on its north edge. The road became St Alphege Gardens. This happened after the realignment of London Wall.
The churchyard north of London Wall remained open until 1677. Later it was built over. The last building on the site used the London Wall as its southern boundary. Bombing during the Second World War destroyed it. This revealed the Roman city wall. The medieval wall was built on top of it. When Salters’ Hall was built in 1976, the area north of the London Wall became a garden.
The second church started as the Priory Church of St Mary-within-Cripplegate. It was likely a Benedictine nunnery. Founded before 1000, it declined by 1329. William Elsing acquired the land. He founded Elsing Spital, a hospital, in 1331. Augustinian canons took it over in 1340. The hospital closed in 1536 during the Dissolution of the Monasteries.
The Priory Church became the new Parish Church after the original St Alphege closed. Sir John Williams bought the rest of the Spital site. He built a house that burned down in 1541. Sion College was founded on the property in 1630.
Repairs to the church were made in 1624. The steeple’s upper part was rebuilt in 1649. The Great Fire of 1666 damaged it but did not destroy it. Further repairs occurred in 1684 and 1701.
In 1711, parishioners requested funds to enlarge the building. They petitioned Parliament in 1718. These efforts failed. By 1747, the steeple was so bad the bells could not ring. Four of the six bells were sold.
The church was deemed unusable in 1774. A committee arranged rebuilding for about \u00a31350 retaining the tower. The new church opened on July 24 1777.
The rebuilt St Alphage had two fronts. One faced east onto Aldermanbury. The other faced north onto London Wall. Both were considered lacking in taste. The east front featured a Venetian window between pilasters. Doorways flanked this arrangement. The facade to London Wall had Doric columns supporting an entablature and pediment. The interior was plain with a flat ceiling. Unusually, the pulpit was against the west wall. This made the congregation face away from the altar.
By 1900, the tower and porch were in poor condition. The north entrance was rebuilt in neo-Gothic style in 1913. Air raid damage occurred during the First World War. The Parish was merged with St Mary Aldermanbury in 1917. Rebuilt in 1919, the church was scheduled for demolition that same year. The bells went to St Peter’s Acton. Demolition of the nave happened in 1923. Only the tower and porch remained. The tower was maintained as a place for prayer until the Second World War.
Fire gutted the tower in 1940. The City of London Corporation began redeveloping the bombed area in 1958. This was part of the Barbican complex. The early twentieth-century north porch and upper tower levels were removed. The church tower and surrounding area were renovated in 2018 and 2019. This formed a central feature in London Wall Place & St Alphage Gardens.
The church remains were designated a Grade II listed structure. Surviving remnants include a ruined central tower of flint and rubble masonry. It has arches on three sides. The south wall is missing.
In 1954, the amalgamated Parish united with St Giles-without-Cripplegate. Today, St Alphage, Hendon stands. It serves as a reminder of the enduring spirit of faith and community. Its story echoes through time connecting us to the past.