Parish of St Anne, Limehouse , Church of England

In 1711 the "Act for the building of Fifty New Churches in the Cities of London and Westminster or the Suburbs thereof" was passed, to be paid for by a tax levied on coal entering the City of London. Only 12 churches were built, one of which was Saint Anne's Limehouse, designed by Nicholas Hawksmoor. The church was constructed between 1712 and 1724, and consecrated in 1730.

The church became an international landmark. It was the first major building seen by ships as they proceeded up the Thames to the Port of London. It also has the highest church clock in London. Its design has been likened to the spread of sails on a square-rigged ship. It was badly damaged by fire in 1850 and it took 6 years to raise the money needed for restoration. Architects John Morris and Philip Hardwick did the work for £13,000. By the 1970s the church was in very poor repair, but by 1981 has been the subject of a major restoration.