by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2025
Christopher Wren’s Christ Church Greyfriars, painted by George Shepherd, 1812; Credit – Wikipedia
History
Originally a Roman Catholic church, Christ Church Greyfriars got its name from the Franciscan friars, who wore grey habits and had a monastery and a church on the site from the 13th century. The church was located on what is now the corner of Newgate Street and King Edward Street, on the north side of Saint Paul’s Cathedral in the City of London.
The Christ Church Greyfriars, which was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1666; Credit – The Citizens’ Memorial
The first church, dating from 1225, was soon replaced by a much larger Gothic-style church, built from the 1290s to about 1360, partly at the expense of Margaret of France, the second wife of King Edward I. The new Christ Church Greyfriars was the second largest church in London at that time, after the Old St. Paul’s Cathedral, measuring 300 feet (91 m) long and 89 feet (27 m) wide, with at least eleven altars.
The Franciscan monastery was dissolved in 1538, during the Dissolution of the Monasteries, from 1536 to 1541, in the reign of King Henry VIII, and Christ Church Greyfriars became a Church of England parish church.
The Gothic-style church was nearly destroyed in the Great Fire of London of 1666. The church was rebuilt to the designs of the famed English architect, astronomer, mathematician, and physicist Sir Christopher Wren and completed in 1687.
Christopher Wren’s church was largely destroyed by bombing during World War II, with only the tower and outer walls remaining intact. After World War II, the decision was made not to rebuild the church, and the ruins are now a public garden.
Christopher Wren’s Church
To save time and money, the foundations of the Gothic church, nearly destroyed in the 1666 Great Fire of London, were partially reused. The new church and tower, without a steeple yet, were completed in 1687. Wren’s church was smaller than the Gothic church, measuring 114 feet (35 m) long and 81 feet (25 m) wide, occupying only the eastern end of the medieval church’s site, with the western end becoming the churchyard.
The tower rose from the church’s west end. It had a simple, round-arched main entranceway and windows decorated with neoclassical pediments. Large carved pineapples, symbols of welcome, decorated the four roof corners of the main church structure. The steeple, standing about 160 feet (49 m) tall, was not completed until 1704.
The interior of Christopher Wren’s Christ Church Greyfriars; Credit – Wikipedia
The interior was divided into nave and aisles by Corinthian columns, raised on tall plinths so that their bases were level with the gallery floors. The aisles had flat ceilings, while the nave had a shallow cross-vault. The north and south walls had large, round-arched windows of clear glass, which allowed the church’s interior to be brightly lit.
There were galleries over the north and south aisles, built at the request of the officers of Christ’s Hospital as seating for the school’s students. The pews were made from the timbers of a wrecked Spanish galleon.
Over the years, significant modifications were made. In 1760, a vestry house was built against the facade’s south side and part of the church’s south wall. At some point, rooms were enclosed in the north and south aisles beneath the galleries. Stained glass depicting Jesus with the children was installed in the centre window to replace the original clear glass.
Burials
Christ Church Greyfriars was used for burials for centuries, dating back to the 13th century. It is estimated to have over 100,000 burials, but it is impossible to know the exact number due to several reasons. Many burials were unmarked. The Great Fire and World War II destroyed not only parts of the church but also many church records.
Royalty known to have been buried at Christ Church Greyfriars:
- Beatrice of England, Countess of Richmond (1242 – 1275), daughter of King Henry III of England, wife of John de Dreux, Count of Richmond, after her death, John II, Duke of Brittany
- Heart of Eleanor of Provence, Queen of England, wife of King Henry III (circa 1223 – 1291)
- Margaret of France, Queen of England (circa 1279 – 1318), second wife of King Edward I of England
- Heart of King Edward II of England (1284 – 1327)
- Isabella of France, Queen of England (circa 1295 – 1358), wife of King Edward II of England
- Joan of the Tower, Queen of Scotland (1321 – 1362), daughter of King Edward II of England and first wife of David II, King of Scots
- Isabella of England, Countess of Bedford (1332 – 1379 or 1382, daughter of King Edward III of England
- Margaret, Duchess of Norfolk (circa 1322 – 1399), daughter of Thomas of Brotherton, 1st Earl of Norfolk, the eldest son of King Edward I of England, from his second marriage. Margaret succeeded to the Earldom of Norfolk and the office of Earl Marshal at her father’s death in 1338, and was created Duchess of Norfolk in 1397.
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Works Cited
- The Citizens’ Memorial: History of Christ Church, Greyfriars. (2012). Thecitizensmemorial. https://thecitizensmemorial.wordpress.com/2012/05/19/11/
- Wikipedia Contributors. (2024). Christ Church Greyfriars. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation.
