St Lawrence Jewry
Gresham Street
London
EC2V 5AA
T: 020 7600 9478
Visitor Information
The official church of the City of London Corporation is dedicated to St Lawrence who came to a very grim end, slowly roasted alive on a gridiron by the 3rd century AD Emperor Valerian. The name Jewry derives from the inhabitants who were expelled from the area by Edward I in 1290.
After the medieval church was burnt in the 1666 Great Fire, Wren replaced it with a Portland stone masterpiece – his costliest creation at £11,870. The original hall interior was damaged in 1940 during the Second World War but was rebuilt by Cecil Brown in the Wren style. The chapel and the nave are divided by a wooden screen of winged angels and the chapel has an elaborate gilded ceiling and stained glass windows.
The church regularly holds free lunch time concerts, details of which can be found on its website.