All Hallows the Great

Site History - All Hallows the Great
United with All Hallows the Less

Text of image opposite reads:

"Situated on the South Side of Thames Street, was in former times under the patronage of Le De Spencer's the earliest date now to be traced is 1361. ~ The Building suffered in the dreadful fire of 1666, and was rebuilt by Sir Christopher Wren 1683. ~ The Rector, William St. Andrew Vincent M.A. in 1803, on resignation, succeeded his father William Vincent D.D. the present and much respected Dean of Westminster."

Key Dates:

1876 - Tower resited to allow widening of Upper Thames Street.
1894 - Church demolished leaving the tower and churchyard.
1964 - Tower demolished.

Acknowledgements: View of All Hallows the Great with street scene. Artist Coney, John (1786-1833) Engraver Skelton, Joseph (fl.1820-1850) Publisher Booth, John (1794-1855) Date of Execution 1812

Image (used with permission) © 'Guildhall Library, City of London'. [See London Picture Archive for current holdings]

| EXIT | Of Burials | References |

The church of All Hallows the Great, on the Thames Street site, can be traced back many centuries and it is fitting that a study of the immediate area be included in pages about Mondial House.

Of Burials

By the middle of the nineteenth century churchyards in London were full to capacity. In 1845, concerned groups formed the National Society for the Abolition of Burial in Towns. By 1850, the Metropolitan Interment Act allowed parishes to buy land outside of London to set up new cemeteries for burials.

The Burial Act 1852/3 lead to the closure of many London churchyards.

By the twentieth century, as London continued expanding as an ever important trading centre, land in the 'square mile' was at a premium.

In the late 1960s, the old burial ground of the All Hallows churchyard had to be cleared of bodies, which were reburied elsewhere, and the site deconsecrated before the building of Mondial began.

The site needed to be in London, close to the cable networks and convenient for the operators and engineers who were to work there. As land is at a premium in the City, the building had to maximise floor space while retaining a stepped profile to meet the stringent planning permissions and not to obscure too much of St. Paul's Cathedral.

References

More detailed references about All Hallows can be found on the BHO website www.british-history.ac.uk/

'All Hallows the Great' and 'All Hallows the Less' - A Dictionary of London (1918).

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