{"id":6912,"date":"2015-02-19T12:30:25","date_gmt":"2015-02-19T12:30:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.goldentours.com\/travelblog?p=6912"},"modified":"2025-07-24T16:01:59","modified_gmt":"2025-07-24T15:01:59","slug":"the-strange-secrets-of-london-churches-you-wont-find-in-a-guide-book","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.goldentours.com\/travelblog\/the-strange-secrets-of-london-churches-you-wont-find-in-a-guide-book","title":{"rendered":"The Strange Secrets of London Churches You Won\u2019t Find in a Guide Book"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

Walk around London for a day or two, and churches become a familiar sight. We know them for their history, beauty and religious significance, but we bet you\u2019ll be stunned to find out these strange secrets of London churches…<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

St Bride\u2019s Church, Fleet Street<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The spire that inspired the traditional wedding cake design<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n
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Photo by Flickr <\/a>user Sarah-Rose<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n

The church of St Bride\u2019s is located on Fleet Street in the City of London. Take a look at its pretty spire \u2013 does it look familiar to you? In the early 19th<\/sup> century, a local baker had a brainwave as he stared at the Christopher Wren-designed spire. The baker copied the look of the building for a wedding cake and the tiered design has been popular ever since!<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

St Bartholomew the Great, West Smithfield<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The church with a weeping statue<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n
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Photo by Flickr <\/a>user Lawrence OP<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n

St Bartholomew Church in the City of London used to be home to a very sad statue. St Bartholomew, London\u2019s oldest church, features a monument to philosopher Edward Cooke, who died in 1652. The type of marble used would condense water, causing the statue to \u2018weep\u2019 tears. Following the installation of a Victorian heating system, the tears dried up and the weeping memorial is no more.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Westminster Abbey, Westminster<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The\u00a0poet buried upright in a church graveyard<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n
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Westminster Abbey<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n

The 17th<\/sup> century poet Ben Jonson is buried in an upright position in Poet\u2019s Corner, Westminster Abbey. Jonson had told the church Dean prior to his death \u201ctwo feet by two is all I want\u201d and that\u2019s exactly the grave he got! Poet’s Corner is where Geoffrey Chaucer and Rudyard Kipling were also laid to rest.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

St Mary le Strand, Westminster<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The church on a London traffic island<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n
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Photo by Flickr<\/a> user Zyllan Fotografia<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n

Wander down the eastern end of the Strand and you’ll find a beautiful Baroque-style church sitting bang in the middle of the road. When the early 18th century church was first built, only a few horses and carts would pass it in both directions. Today, the roads either side are very busy with cars heading towards Westminster to the west and the City of London to the east.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

All Hallows, Twickenham<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The travelling church<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n
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Photo by Flickr<\/a> user Maxwell Hamilton<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n

All Hallows Church in the London Borough of Richmond has a seen a great deal of London. In the 1920’s, the Bishop of London decided to demolish a number of churches in the City of London. However, one church was carefully taken down stone by stone and rebuilt in Twickenham. The original All Hallows Church was located on Lombard Street before being moved to its current location in the late 1930’s. The church’s stone tower, bells, cloister and interior fittings and furnishings were all moved to the new site in Twickenham.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n