The churches of London have been through a lot over the last few centuries and show us every important phase of English history. The church had great importance in medieval society and has now passed into the present day. There are small events that have changed buildings inside and out, such as the laying of the London Underground which only damaged one church, and there have been large events such as the Great Fire of London which completely destroyed or severely damaged over 80 churches. Because there are so many churches, I only focused on five different ones and their historical context. They are all set in the City of London, which is the center of the much larger city of London and are still in use today. Most of the churches were built in the Romanesque style between 1000 and 1250. The All Hallows London Wall church was built over the ancient Roman walls that surrounded Londinium. The church of San Bartolomeo the Great, founded in 1123 by an Augustinian priory, also retains much of the Romanesque style church even after the restoration. St. Olave Hart Street Church was built in 1270 and already restored in the 15th century with funds from Robert and Richard Cely. During and the first century after the Reformation in England, which occurred between 1517 and 1648, not many new churches were built but existing ones were modified, especially internally as liturgical needs changed. The medieval church of St. Nicholas Cole Abbey, which was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1666, was one of the first to be rebuilt by Christopher Wren. St. Bride's, Fleet Street, rebuilt by Christopher Wren between 1670 and 1675, was also completely burnt down. A total of 51 churches were rebuilt by Christopher Wr...... middle of paper ...... originally established as a hospital, a school hall was created and a printing press was available in the Lady Chapel. The All Hallows London Wall is the home of numerous charitable organisations, the churchyard of St.Olave Hart Street was described by Charles Dickens in 'The Uncommercial Traveller' as one of his best-loved graveyards and under Fleet Street of St .Bride there is a crypt which presents important elements of Roman, Saxon and Norman work, as well as subsequent construction phases from the Middle Ages. Churches are very similar to what happens in history because they always remain while so much else has been swept away. They show us every stage of the history of architecture and within their walls. They don't change much in our lifetime, but over a longer period of time you can definitely see the history behind them. Works Cited Churches of London Churches of the city of London