The church of St Stephen Walbrook, built on the site of a Roman temple

St Stephen Walbrook’s Church is another historic City church destroyed in the London Fire and rebuilt by Christopher Wren.

It is called Walbrook because it is located on the bank of the Walbrook River, a church has existed since 1096 in the area where a Roman temple once existed.

St Stephen Walbrook’s church was too small for the population it served and was rebuilt 20 meters away again near the Walbrook which had already been covered by that point.

This church was later destroyed in the Great Fire of 1666 and completely rebuilt by Christopher Wren between 1672 and 1679. The interesting thing was that here Wren experimented with some architectural theories which he then also used at St Paul’s, for example the dome in the centre.

As soon as it was built, the church appealed to many, 

including the Italian sculptor Canova. Like virtually all of Christopher Wren’s churches in the City it was bombed during World War II. Fortunately, part of the interior, including the pulpit, survived the bombing.

The rebuilding of St Stephen Walbrook’s church was paid for almost exclusively by financier Peter Palumbo and the church was reopened in 1987. It now has a Henry Moore altar which is also called Camembert

. The church in addition to having masses has a series of concerts or recitals that are free. 

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