St Botolph's Aldgate
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
St Botolph's Church, Aldgate is a parish church in the City of London standing at the junction of Houndsditch and Aldgate High Street. The current 18th Century church is made of brick with stone quoins and window casings. The tower is square with a obelisk spire.[1]
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[edit] History
The first written record of this church appears in 1115 when it was received by the Holy Trinity Aldgate priory (recently founded by Queen Matilda) but the parochial foundations may very well be pre-1066. The church was rebuilt in the 16th Century and then again between 1741-1744 to designs by George Dance the Elder.[1] The interior "was redecorated by J. F. Bentley, the architect of Westminster Abbey, was severely bombed at intervals during the Second World War and then, after its restoration by Rodney Tatchell, was much damaged by an inexplicable outbreak of fire in 1965, so that further restoration had to be carried out. St Botolph's was rehallowed on 8 November 1966 by the Bishop of London, in the presence of the Queen Mother and the Lord Mayor, who attended in state." [1]
[edit] The organ
The organ by Renatus Harris was built in the early 18th Century. It has recently undergone a historical restoration by the organ builders Goetze and Gwyn. It has been restored to its 1744 specification using many of the original components. This organ has been described as the oldest church organ in the UK.[2] Although there are older pipes and cases, this is the oldest collection of pipes in their original positions on their original wind chests.[3]
Donated by Thomas Whiting in 1676 and was built between 1702-4. It was enhanced for the new church (the current building) by Harris' son-in-law John Byfield in 1740. The organ was considerably enlarged several times in the 19th Century, and again rebuilt by Mander Organs in 1960’s having survived a WWII bomb, which lodged in the roof of the Church but failed to explode. The decision to restore the instrument was taken by St Botolph’s in 2002 after which a fundraising campaign was launched. The restoration, undergone under the consultancy of Ian Bell took 9 months during which time the organ has been at the workshops of Goetze and Gwynn in Welbeck, Nottinghamshire. It was reinstalled in May 2006.
[edit] Famous Parishioners
Daniel Defoe was married here in 1683.
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Saunders, Ann (1984). The Art and Architecture of London: An Illustrated Guide. Oxford: Phaidon, 80.
- ^ http://www.organfocus.com/features/events/stbotolphs.doc Organ restoration press release
- ^ http://www.goetzegwynn.co.uk/restored/aldgate.shtml Restorers website
