All Hallows Staining
All Hallows Staining was a Church of England church located at the junction of Mark Lane and Dunster Court in the north-eastern corner of Langbourn ward in the City of London, England, close to Fenchurch Street railway station. All that remains of the church is the tower, built around AD 1320 as part of the second church on the site. Use of the grounds around the church is the subject of the Allhallows Staining Church Act 2010.
History
The first mention of the church was in the late 12th century. It was named "Staining", which means stone, to distinguish it from the other churches of All Hallows in the City of London, which were wooden.The old church survived the Great Fire of London in 1666 but collapsed five years later in 1671, leaving only the tower and a small part of the west end. It was thought its foundations had been weakened by too many burials in the churchyard close to the church walls. The church was rebuilt in 1674. A 19th century account of the rebuilt church describes the interior as "nothing more than a long narrow room, with a simple cornice around the walls". The medieval tower stood at the northwest corner.
In 1870 the parish of All Hallows Staining was combined with that of St Olave Hart Street and All Hallows was demolished, leaving only the tower. The proceeds from the demolition funded the construction of a new church in East End of London, All Hallows, Bow. Since then the tower has been owned and maintained by the Worshipful Company of Clothworkers, one of the livery companies of the City of London, whose hall was adjacent to it.
During the Second World War in 1941, St Olave Hart Street was badly damaged by bombs. Between 1948 and 1954, when the restored St Olave's was reopened, a prefabricated church stood on the site of All Hallows Staining. This was known as St Olave Mark Lane. The tower of All Hallows Staining was used as the chancel of the temporary church.
In 1957 the Clothworkers' Company built a church hall for St Olave Hart Street on the site of All Hallows Staining. The old tower stood at the back of a small courtyard next to the new hall; and the remains of the church were designated a Grade I listed building on 4 January 1950.
Lambe's Chapel Crypt
Until the current redevelopment, the remains of Lambe's Chapel Crypt lay beneath the yard adjacent to the tower. The structure had been moved from the site of Lambe's Chapel in Monkswell Street and rebuilt there in 1872, following the purchase of all Hallows by the Clothworkers Company, which had previously owned the chapel. It is named after William Lamb, once a Master of the company. The reconstruction was however only about half the size of the original structure and incorporated a great deal of new material.It was said to have formed part of the Hermitage of St James on the Wall. These remains were designated Grade II at the same time as the main tower.