Identity area
Type of entity
Authorized form of name
Parallel form(s) of name
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Other form(s) of name
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
History
The parish of St Dunstan in the West was first mentioned in 1185. The church escaped the Great Fire of London and in commemoration of its survival the famous clock, with its two figures with clubs who strike the hour, was erected. In 1760, when the nearby Ludgate was demolished, the statue of Queen Elizabeth I which had stood on the gate was placed above the church door. The church was taken down in 1830 so that Fleet Street could be widened, and was replaced the following year by the present building, an octagonal design by John Shaw, in gothic style. The clock was sold to the Marquess of Hertford, but was restored to the church in 1935 by Lord Rothermere. In 1954 Saint Dunstan's became a guild church, with one chapel reserved for use by the Russian Orthodox Church.
Information from The London Encyclopaedia, eds. Weinreb and Hibbert (LMA Library Reference 67.2 WEI).