Parish of St Bride, Fleet Street, City of London , Church of England

Parish of St Bride, Fleet Street, City of London , Church of England

During excavations, the remains of a Roman house were found in the crypt of Saint Bride's, alongside the foundations of seven different churches dating from the 6th to the 17th centuries. It appears that the first church was founded by Saint Bridget, an Irish saint of the 6th century. This church was replaced by a Norman building which in turn was rebuilt in the 15th century. After Wynkyn de Worde established the first printing press in Fleet Street, the area attracted many writers who were parishioners of Saint Brides; including de Worde himself, John Dryden, John Milton, Richard Lovelace, and John Evelyn. Samuel Pepys was christened here.

The church was destroyed during the Great Fire of London in 1666, and was replaced by one of Wren's largest and most expensive churches. The famous spire was added in 1701-03. Mr Rich, a pastry cook in Fleet Street, became famous for his wedding cakes modelled on the tiered arcades of the spire. In 1940 the church was badly damaged by bombing (allowing the excavations mentioned above). It was restored to the original designs. The parish was united with Holy Trinity Gough Square.

Information from The London Encyclopaedia, eds. Weinreb and Hibbert (LMA Library Reference 67.2 WEI).