Chance to see All Hallows Staining’s 14th-century Church Tower

If you don’t mind peering through gaps in fences, now is a really good time to see the 14th-century tower of All Hallows Staining church.

Sitting next to Fenchurch Street station, All Hallows Staining was a church dating to around the 12th century and so called because, at a time when churches were made from wood, this church was made from stone (staining).

The church survived the Great Fire of London (all that stone helps), but collapsed just a few years later, probably because too many burials had weakened the foundations (all that stone was heavy) and rebuilt in 1674, again in stone, but all churches were by then.

However, the shrinking population in the City saw its parish merged with nearby St Olave Hart Street in 1870, and the bulk of the church was demolished, leaving just the original 14th-century tower standing.

The church tower used to stand outside the front entrance of Clothworkers’ Hall, but most of the area around the tower was damaged and cleared during WWII, and a 1950s cluster of office blocks, as well as a replacement church hall, were built. That meant you could see the tower, but it was somewhat sealed off and surrounded by 1950s towers.

Now, all that’s been swept away — to be replaced soon by a new tower block.

However, at this very moment, the whole block of land has been cleared down to street level, leaving the ancient church tower standing alone, an island of stone among the concrete.

You do need to peer through a few gaps in the fences in places, or, ahem, maybe stand on the planters around the southern side to get a good look.

Surrounded by modern towers, you can now see a tower that was once so distinctive that its stone construction gave a name to the church it stood next to — All Hallows Staining – the Stone Church of All Hallows.

You can see the church tower next to Fenchurch Street station.