St Benet Gracechurch with St Leonard Eastcheap, London Genealogy

Returned to the London Parishes S-St C page.

St Benet Gracechurch with St Leonard Eastcheap, the church of is situated at the southwest corner of Fenchurch Street and Grace Church Street, near the office of Lombard Street. It derives its name from its dedication to St. Benedict, or Bennett, and its vicinity to the grass market, which was anciently held before its western door. The old church was destroyed by the great fire in 1666, and rebuilt by Sir Christopher Wren. It is a handsome church, and of the harmonious proportions of a double cube, being 60 feet in length, 30 and breath, and 32 in height, the 2 feet in height being allowed by our great master to compensate for optical defect. It is a richly ornamented after the fashion of the day, as Hanson molded wainscot, carved pulpit and altar, and a richly carved font. It was finished for divine service in 1685. The exterior is finished by a handsome Corning's, a lofty blocking course, and light balustrade. The tower begins from the ground, like all of Wren's, and the tower above the is lofty and obeliscal, beginning from five small porticos and finishing with a ball and vane.

The church of St. Leonard Eastcheap, was also destroyed at the same time, and the present church is now the parochial church of the two united parishes. It is a rectory, patronage of which appears to have remained in the dean and chapter of St. Paul's; but as the patronage of the rectory of St. Leonard was anciently in the priors and content of Canterbury and since the Reformation, in the dean and chapter of that city, of which it is one of the 13 players within the city, the presentation is alternately with St. Paul's in Canterbury.

[Adapted from: Topographical Dictionary of London by James Elms; published 1831]