St Dunstan in the East

St Dunstan in the East is what used to be a church but gone through a lot of change running through two significant historical events, being the Great Fire of London and the Blitz. Now, it is a hotspot for city workers’ lunch breaks during the weekdays and offers a soothing and calming atmosphere during the weekends.

St Dunstan in the East was built as an Anglo-Saxon church built at around 1100 as and it was not until 1391, when a new south aisle was added in. It was later repaired in 1631.

In 1666, the Great Fire of London breezed through it, but rather than having it rebuilt, it was patched up in 1671. The west section of the garden held the graves of the victims who died in the Great Fire of London, where it now resides with Wisteria vines and Azalea trees.

Christopher Wren added in a steeple and tower which was constructed from 1695 to 1701. It is said that the builders dared not remove the scaffolding away in fear of it collapsing. Despite their concerns, Wren took faith in his own design and had his daughter lay under the scaffold. All the scaffolding were removed, so I’m guessing Wren’s daughter survived as the church tower still stands there today.

In 1941, the church was destroyed in the Blitz, but the church tower and all the outer wall survived leaving a hollow church with no roof. During the re-organisation of the church following World War II, the City of London Corporation decided that they were not going to rebuild it but turn what was left into a public garden.

Having been there several times, I completely enjoy what the garden has to offer each time, especially during the weekends when it is completely quiet. The garden is secluded by surrounding offices obscuring the splendour of evergreen in the middle of it, making it a very out-of-the-way garden, which many won’t come across. On the weekends, the park is completely quiet giving many of a chance to sit down and enjoy the tranquillity of the greenery and lovely water features of the fountain. The park is home to many stunningly beautiful flowers of Wisteria, Magnolia and climbing roses in flower beds and clambering on to the church walls.