Located just a short walk from London Bridge, you’ll find one of the city’s best-kept secrets. You could probably walk past the ruins of St Dunstan-in-the-East Church and barely notice it was there.
Its position in the financial sector of London means it is surrounded by a host of historic sites, while the nearby Tower of London outdoes them all by attracting three million visitors each year. But this does not prevent the London church from having its own unique link to the city’s history.
St Dunstan-in-the-East dates back to 1100 when it was first built. Extensions were made over the following centuries until it was severely damaged in the Great Fire of London in 1666. Despite this major setback, acclaimed architect Christopher Wren was brought in to rebuild it.
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He added a large tower and constructed the new walls in a Gothic design that complimented its medieval design. The church then resumed its function in the following centuries until the Second World War.
During the Blitz – where London was bombed mercilessly for almost 60 consecutive nights – the church took a direct hit and much of it was destroyed. Parts of central and east London suffered particularly due to their industrial importance to the war effort, as a total of one million homes across the city were damaged in the war.
As the rebuilding process began in the decades after the war, the decision was eventually made by the City of London to turn the bombed-out shell into a public garden. The peaceful location now serves as a refuge for Londoners in the midst of an ever-changing city around them.
It’s often busy at lunchtime when nearby office workers who are in the know sit on the walls and benches while looking out over the gardens, but for the hundreds of thousands passing through nearby London Bridge Station, and the major attractions around it, it’s still relatively hidden. The church ruins also provide shade on hot summer days, and it is blessed with several secluded areas to explore.
If you want to go when it’s quiet, early weekday mornings are probably the best time to visit. St Dunstan-in-the-East is a five-minute walk from the Monument and Tower Hill on the Tube, while it is around 10 minutes’ walk from London Bridge station, across the river.
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