We should all sing the praises of the churches of the City of London

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Working in the historic heart of London’s financial district, one is never far from the Church. Sometimes commuters perched on skyscrapers or enclosed by office blocks on their way to and from work may hear a distant singing service or perhaps a chime or two. But how many of us appreciate this wonderful heritage of the city?

“People often walk in and say, ‘I’ve worked for 35 years but I’ve never been in here before,'” says the Reverend Canon Alison Joyce, Rector of St Bride’s Church in Fleet Street.

She has made it her mission to encourage people of all faiths and anyone to experience Wren’s Grade I-listed masterpiece and the 2,000 years of history that underpins it.

Entering and exploring its mysteries is a profound experience at any time of the year, especially at Christmas. There has been a church on this site since the 6th century, as evidenced by the tiny medieval chapels in the crypt.

In the year After St Bride’s and countless other city churches were razed to the ground in the Great Fire of London in 1666, 51 were rebuilt – most of them designed by Sir Christopher Wren – destroyed again in the Blitz.

It’s a miracle that many survived, but some question how long their doors will remain open.

City churches are not just places of worship. They contain a rich and fascinating history that is dear to all of London. You don’t have to be a regular churchgoer or Christian to appreciate this – but your chances of accidentally walking in and finding out are diminishing.

Of the 40 or so churches that survive within the square mile, not all are regularly open to the public. Friends of city churches It organizes volunteer church guards to make it accessible to the well-organized weekday visitor. But given the high cost of maintaining listed heritage sites in good condition, the financial challenges are many.

Many assume that the Church of England or the government will cover the cost, but Joyce points out that St Bride’s and other churches are self-funded and dependent on donations.

Across the UK, church attendance is lower than it was before the pandemic. The peculiarity of the City of London churches is that the congregations are transient – this busy working class of the capital may include some of the wealthiest people in the whole country, but it disappears at the end of the week.

And while many thousands of city workers flock to carol services before Christmas, there are far fewer during midweek services. The handful of churches that hold Sunday services depend on walk-ins. On weekends from midday the congestion charge gateway has been out of service since 11am, but pleas to extend it by an hour have fallen on deaf ears. ears.

However, the churches have done a great job of adapting to and mediating in the modern needs of the working day worker.

It is one of the favorite lunch spots for Financial Times journalists. Cafe belowA cheap restaurant in St. Mary’s LeBow Church just a stone’s throw from our office. Walk a few minutes in the other direction and you’ll find The Wren Coffee in St Nicholas Coll Abbey, London’s most beautiful coffee shop. It’s the only place I know of that sells the London Fog – an Earl Gray latte laced with honey that has been known to help many colleagues with their recent passing.

Other city churches are popular for music, concerts and lectures. He regularly hosts St Andrew’s in Holborn. The city orchestra. And you haven’t lived if you haven’t heard the world-famous Holy Bride Choir. Yet the church continues to attract newcomers by offering a rare commodity in the hustle and bustle of the city – complete silence.

When Joyce became rector ten years ago, she was surprised by the number of city workers she could see through the plate-glass windows toiling away in their offices at eleven-thirty at night. Her response is a A place for silence. Every weekday at 4:00pm the church lights are dimmed, candles are lit and all comers are welcomed to simply sit, reflect, pray and enjoy the peace and quiet.

“If you can reconnect with that kind of silence, it helps you get some perspective, whether you’re a person of faith or not,” she says. So if you happen to pass by the town church and find the door open, there’s even more reason to step inside to find the treasure inside.

Claire Barrett is the FT’s consumer editor.

claire.barrett@ft.com Instagram @Claerb