St Antholin Church, on the far left, recreated in gingerbread in Selfridges Lost London window

Recently I blogged about Selfridge's delightful Lost London window, which recreates buildings that have been lost or were never built in the capital. I was most delighted to see that St Antholin Budge Row was included, as it is one of my favourite lost churches in the City of London.

The gingerbread model depicts what was considered to be one of the finest of the City Churches designed by Christopher Wren. The church stood from 1678 until 1874. Like all the Lost Churches, it has a fascinating history and with a bit of detective work I have been able to visit the parts of the church that still survive.  

St Antholin, on the right, viewed from inside Selfridges

St Antholin's was dedicated to St Anthony, the hermit of Egypt. It was located on the corner of Budge Row, near present day Queen Victoria Street. Wren's church replaced an earlier one on the site dating back to the 1100s and which had been destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666. The later church was demolished in the 1870s due to falling congregations.

A bas relief depicting St Antholin at St Mary Aldermary Church

A picture of the church can be seen today on the south side of  St Mary Aldermary. St Antholin was built on a rectangular plan with its south west corner missing. Inside it had fine plasterwork and wooden panelling.

Under the Union Of Benefices Act 1860 some of the City Churches were demolished and the proceeds from the sale of the land were used to build new churches in the suburbs. The new church built from its proceeds was also called St Antholin and was located in Nunhead Lane, Peckham.

The pulpit from St Antholin is now in St Peter & St Paul's Church in Blandford Forum, Dorset

When the church was demolished its fixtures and fittings were sold off. I was delighted a couple of years ago to see the original pulpit which is now in St Peter and Paul's Church in Dorest.

 The top of St Antholin's stone spire is now in South London

However closer to home is the upper third of its stone spire which is now located in the middle of a housing estate in Sydenham, South London. It had been purchased for the cost of £5 and had sat in the grounds of Roundhill House and has remained in the area after the house was demolished and replaced by a housing estate. Despite it's rather unexpected location it's worth a visit to see the beautiful spire with its shell like decoration close up.

If you would like to know more about St Antholin consider booking on my Lost Churches walk. 

Practical Information 

Address:  Selfridges, 400 Oxford St, London W1A 1AB

Nearest Tube Stations:  Marble Arch or Bond Street with both stations being in Travelcard Zone 1 and a few minutes walk from Selfridges

Opening Hours:  Please check website for opening times.

Website:  http://www.selfridges.com/ 

If you liked this you might like to read Part I and Part III of the Lost London Selfridges Christmas window blogs.

The author of this blog is a qualified City of London and City of Westminster Tour Guide who leads guided walks combining world famous landmarks with hidden treasures often missed by the crowds. 

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