If anything typifies London‘s juxtaposition of old and new, it is what is left of All Hallows Staining in the heart of the city.
Incredible photos yesterday showed how the 14th century tower of the former church has been balanced 45 feet above the ground as a project to build a gleaming new development around it continues.
But similarly remarkable is the history of All Hallows itself, a church which centuries ago would have accommodated Londoners terrified by the deadly plague – as its graveyard likely filled with its myriad victims.
Originally founded in the 12th century, when churches were typically made of wood, the ‘Staining’ part of its name comes from the fact that All Hallows was built with stone.
Its graveyard was excavated by Museum of London archaeologists before construction work on the new development – named Fifty Fenchurch Street – began.
Experts found and then moved more than 2,800 burials dating from the 12th century through to the 19th century, whilst Roman-era artefacts – including bits of pottery – were also found.
And according to Cambridge University’s incredible ‘Murder Map’ project, a repository of murders in the capital in the medieval period, two savage killings were committed near All Hallows in the early 14th century.
In the first, carried out in 1322, a woman was found to have been battered over the head by a couple who wanted her good quality clothes.
The 700-year-old tower of All Hallows Staining church in central London has been suspended 45 feet above ground as part of a major re-development
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The second murder, in 1336, was of a fishmonger stabbed to death by his mistress, who then fled the scene.
All Hallows would go on to survive the Great Fire of London in 1666, which wiped out more than 13,000 homes and 89 churches.
But the sheer number of burials around the church is the key factor that is believed to have sealed its fate.
In 1671, just six years after it survived the Great Fire, All Hallows – with its foundations thought to have been weakened by the digging of graves – collapsed.
Although it was re-built soon afterwards, the church only survived until 1870, when all its buildings apart from the surviving tower were demolished as the parish was merged with the adjacent St Olave Hart Street.
The tower used to be outside the front entrance of Clothworkers’ Hall, but after the damage wrought by Second World War bombing, the area was cleared and 1950s office blocks sprang up around the remains of the church.
As part of the current redevelopment, other buildings on the site – including the historic Clothworkers’ Hall and the church hall of St Olave Hart Street – have already been demolished.
The project was opposed by Historic Royal Palaces, which manages the Tower of London.
An illustration showing how the church looked in around 1750
A view of All Hallows’s tower in 1951, when it stood next to a pre-fabricated church hall
As part of the new development, the church was balanced on stilts above a 60,000 square foot excavation site
More than 125,000 tonnes of earth was removed from underneath the tower to make way for a 650,000 square foot office
All Hallows Staining dates back to the 14th century, although the tower is all that remains
The development is due to be completed in 2028. Above: The view from underneath the church
The historic All Hallows Staining Church is seen surrounded by ongoing construction work
They argued it would block protected views of the Tower.
The 36-storey tower, which is replacing a seven-storey office block that has been occupied by the Clothworkers Livery Company for almost 500 years, aims to realise a goal for ‘a greener, more environmentally sustainable Square Mile’.
It will contain state-of-the-art technology and amenities, with its tenth floor providing a 360-degree ‘public realm experience’.
The plans also include an underground livery hall, ground-floor shops, 62,000 square metres of office space and a public garden roof.
The project is being undertaken by Axa IM Alts, the investment arm of the French insurance company.
All Hallows’ tower was balanced on stilts above a 60,000 square foot excavation site, out of which more than 125,000 tonnes of earth were removed to make way for the new office building.
The church tower was first underpinned to protect the structure and then a shaft was excavated around it so it could be filled with reinforced concrete to create a slab.
On the underside of the slab are four plunge columns going deep into the ground.
A CGI image showing the church tower surrounded by the gleaming skycraper
A CGI image envisaging how the redeveloped site will look when completed
They maintained structural integrity while the area beneath the church was excavated.
It is set to remain in its current state of ‘suspension’ for around a year.
Construction of the development’s basement levels will eventually reunite the church tower with ground level to form part of a new green public space
CGI images of the finished project show the tower standing at the base of the envisaged new glass building, with lights illuminating its arches.
A ‘bottoming out’ ceremony took place on Tuesday.
Howard Dawber, deputy mayor of London for business and growth, who was in attendance, said: ‘Fifty Fenchurch Street is a remarkable project and I am delighted to attend this unique ceremony that marks a significant construction milestone for this 36-storey flagship development.
‘Development projects like this one in the City of London highlight our capital’s position as a world-leading destination for leading businesses to invest.’
