Dutch Church , Austin Friars, London

The Dutch Church in London has its origin in a charter of 24 July 4 Edward VI (1550) by which the former monastic church of the Austin Friars was assigned to the use of foreign protestants. For some months the church was used by both Dutch and French (Walloon) communities, but in the latter part of the year the French moved to a chapel in Threadneedle Street, and thereafter the Austin Friars church was used exclusively by the Dutch. In 1560 the foreign churches in London were obliged to accept the "superintendence" of the Bishop of London, but this relationship was always less formal than that between the Bishop and his Anglican parishes, and for the most part the Dutch were permitted to maintain their own traditions and forms of worship. The Bishop's superintendence notionally continued as late as the nineteenth century, but in practice the Bishop rarely interfered in the affairs of the Dutch Church after the Restoration. Apart from that the Dutch Church has always been independent.

The church building was damaged by fire in 1862, and was virtually destroyed by an air raid in 1940, but has since been rebuilt.