There has been
a church on
this site for over 900 years
The name St. Mary Aldermary indicates the ancient origins of the church. Aldermary, meaning “Older Mary”, implies this is the first local church dedicated to Mary and so it probably has Saxon roots. The earliest record is 11th century.
After the Great Fire of 1666, the church was a ‘Gothic’ rebuild. This went against the City authority’s plans but was possible due to a £5,000 legacy from Henry Rogers, a wealthy Somerset businessman, donated for the ‘rebuilding of a church in London where there was most need’. The money was given to St. Mary Aldermary whose parishioners wanted the church rebuilt in the old style. This was overseen by John Oliver, one of Wren’s surveyors.
Three other parish churches have been amalgamated with St Mary Aldermary. The first was St Thomas the Apostle, which was not rebuilt after the Fire. The second, St Antholin Budge Row, was demolished in 1875 to make way for Queen Victoria Street. St John the Baptist Upon Walbrook, also not rebuilt after the Fire, had been amalgamated with St Antholin in 1666 so was re-attached to St Mary Aldermary in 1875.
Although all the church’s windows were blown out during the Blitz, the building itself remained structurally sound. It became one of the thirty-three Guild Churches in 1952, each of whom had a special purpose. This church was to be a centre for the retreat movement and the promotion of the spiritual life which, in 2010, may have caused it to become the home of the contemplative Moot community. Host Cafe opened in 2012, intentionally blurring the boundaries between sacred and secular.