| St. Alban, Wood Street | |
|---|---|
 The tower of St. Alban's | |
 | |
| Location | Wood Street,London |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Anglican |
St Alban's was a church inWood Street,City of London. It was dedicated toSaint Alban. Of medieval origin, it was rebuilt in 1634, destroyed in theGreat Fire of London in 1666,[1] and rebuilt, this time to aGothic design by SirChristopher Wren.[2] It was severely damaged by bombing during the Second World War and the ruins cleared, leaving only the tower.[3]
Some argue that it dated back toKing Offa of Mercia,[4] who is believed to have had a palace on the site which included a chapel. Offa foundedan abbey also dedicated to Alban in 793 and subsequently a number of churches were dedicated to St Alban in theCity of London. The accounts of the parish clerk date back to 930. In 1077 theabbot of St Albans exchanged the right of presentation of the cleric for this church for the patronage of another church belonging to theabbot of Westminster. At the time ofKing John the church was known as St Alban Wuderstrate.[5]
In 1633Inigo Jones and SirHenry Spiller, among others, were requested to examine the church,[6] which had fallen into disrepair, and report on its condition. It was found to be beyond repair and was demolished and rebuilt in 1634.
The church was completely destroyed in the Great Fire of London. It was rebuilt bySir Christopher Wren in a latePerpendicular Gothic style, and completed in 1685.[7] The rebuilt church was divided into nave and aisles by piers shaped as clustered columns, supporting unusually flattened pointed arches.[8] The nave had plasterlierne vaults.[6] After the fire the parish was combined with that ofSt Olave's, Silver Street, which was not rebuilt.
The church was restored in 1858–9 byGeorge Gilbert Scott, who added an apse.[6]
The 92-foot high tower, which stood on the north side of the church,[8] had four pinnacles which were replaced in 1879.[6]
The building was burnt out and partially destroyed duringthe Blitz in 1940. The parish was united with that ofSt Vedast Foster Lane in 1954 and the remains of the body of the church demolished in 1965. The tower was left standing and today remains as a private dwelling on a traffic island. The tower was designated a Grade II*listed building on 4 January 1950.[9]
Its exterior was used as headquarters of the group AD1 in the 2009 filmSt Trinian's II: The Legend of Fritton's Gold, and as a location in the music video for Adam Rickitt's Everything My Heart Desires.
The parish records are held at theGuildhall Library. Receipts for burial with names of deceased can be found in thechurchwardens' accounts 1584–1636.[citation needed]
51°30′59.69″N0°5′38.95″W / 51.5165806°N 0.0941528°W /51.5165806; -0.0941528
