Churches and Cathedrals in Ballinger Common

"Towering over diminutive Ludgate Hill in a superb position that's been a place of Christian worship for over 1400 years (and pagan before that), St Paul’s is one of London’s most magnificent buildings. For Londoners, the vast dome is a symbol of resilience and pride, standing tall for more than 300 years. Viewing Sir Christopher Wren’s masterpiece from the inside and climbing to the top for sweeping views of the capital is a celestial experience."

"Day 1: Arrive in London, Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour, the London EyeDay 2: Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Whitehall, Covent GardenDay 3: Tower of London, Tower Bridge, Borough Market, Tate Modern, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Sky GardenDay 4: National Gallery, Greenwich, Prime Meridian, Up at the O2Day 5: British Museum, Portobello Road Market, Victoria and Albert Museum, Harrod’s"

"From the Tower of London, walk 20 minutes west, up Ludgate Hill, and find yourself at the City of London’s highest point – right in the shadow of St. Paul’s Cathedral. Whether it’s the Cathedral’s iconic dome, colonnade-adorned West Front, or glistening interior, there’s plenty to leave you speechless during a stroll through St. Paul’s."

"Year Built: 675 CE Location: Byward Street, City of London Purpose:  Church (Current Denomination – Church of England) Still Standing:  Yes. photo source: Wikimedia Commons. Although St. Bride’s Church is considered older, All Hallows by the Tower often cites itself as the oldest church in the City of London – unlike other early churches, All Hallows has a definitive founding date backed up by well-kept records."

"Reconstruction during 1955, after extensive damage in the Blitz. Image source: Ben Brooksbank / CC BY-SA 2.0. Located on the doorstep of the Tower of London, this church has buried the bodies of numerous victims sentenced to death on Tower Hill, including those of Thomas More, Bishop John Fisher and Archbishop Laud."

"All Hallows Church London sits across the square from the Tower of London. It’s one of the oldest Christian churches in London, dating back possibly to the 7th century AD. It famously survived the Great Fire of London because surrounding buildings were burned to create a firebreak."

"Temple Church in Central London is the physical embodiment of the Knights Templar, a religious order that also trained as warrior monks. This is history that is strong on narrative and bursting with battles and blood-lust. Temple Church was built by the Knights Templar, the order of crusading monks who sought to protect pilgrims on their journeys to Jerusalem in the 12th century."

"The name, Temple, derives from the Order of the Knights Templar, an order established in 1118 for protecting pilgrims. (You may know of them as the knights who wore white tunics with red crosses on them.). In 1162, the group built their first church and houses on the banks of the Thames."

"Temple Church is linked with the Knights Templar and contains the stone effigies of eight slumbering knights on the floor of the Round Tower 3"

"One church which comes up in very few London guide books is St Brides church on Fleet Street. The current St Bride’s is at least the seventh to have stood on the site, designed by Sir Christopher Wren, the 1672 incarnation was damaged heavily during a fire in the WWII blitz in the 1940’s but thankfully able to be restored. The second tallest church in London, after St Paul’s, St Brides is an imposing figure on the London skyline, especially against the modern highrise buildings of today."

"There was a church on this site during the time of the Romans.Some believe that St Bridget, an Irish saint, established the first Christian church on the site in the 6th century. During the Great Plague of 1665, a plague pit was dug within the churchyard. Pepys mentions having to bribe the gravedigger in order to find room to bury his brother."

"Famous for its three-tiered spire which inspired a baker to create a tiered wedding cake. It has an interesting museum underneath 2"

"Located on an island in the middle of the bustling Strand, St Clement Danes Church church offers an oasis of calm. Explore the famous London church, whose bells are mentioned in the traditional Oranges and Lemons nursery rhyme, and hear them ring out across the City of London several times a day. Reconsecrated as the Central Church of the Royal Air Force in 1958, the church is also home to books of remembrance and more than 1,000 RAF badges."

"St Clement Danes church is one of the best-known churches in Westminster, London. It’s a fine white Baroque building with a prominent spire on a traffic island in the Strand, close to the Royal Courts of Justice. It’s famous for the nursery rhyme ‘Oranges and lemons ring the bells of St Clement’s’, and it’s not the only church in our list to get a mention in."

"Christopher Wren and James Gibbs rebuilt the original 9th-century church, but only its outer walls and steeple survived destruction in the Blitz"

"St. Giles-in-the-Fields is known as the Poets’ Church and has a number of important burials plus a burial pit of plague victims"

"Splendidly refurbished in 2010 it was built between 1721-1724 to the designs of John James, as one of the Fifty Churches projected by Queen Anne’s Act of 1711. The reredos is from the workshop of Grinling Gibbons and frames a ‘Last Supper’ painted for the church by William Kent in 1724. The windows contain Flemish glass of the early 16th century from Antwerp."

"The saying goes that to be a true cockney you have to be within earshot of the famous Bow bells. This church is a pivotal landmark in the middle of Cheapside, London near the Bank underground station which is situated on the Northern, Central and Waterloo lines. Another result of the famous Christopher Wrens creations following the Great Fire of 1666, St Mary Le Bow Church is a fully functioning Christian place of worship and this Norman crypt is the oldest parochial chapel still in use in London."

"True Cockneys need to be born within earshot of the Bow bells, which were said to have turned back Dick Whittington when on his way to Highgate 2"

"Head to the E5 Bakehouse under the railway arches at London Fields for a changing menu of cakes, tarts and patisserie, from brownies and perfectly-formed raspberry financiers to classic eccles cakes and crème brulee tarts. The seating area is small and, between the open kitchen and trains running overhead, a little noisy, but in a typically east London bustling way. And the pecan pie is – and I’m only slightly exaggerating – the best I’ve tasted this side of the Atlantic."

"E5 Bakehouse are one of London's premier sourdough providers and you'll find them in many a restaurant too. The range also includes a spelt loaf, rye breads and buns and plenty of top drawer pastries. Brunch at their cafe is very popular, and they have a coffee roastery in Poplar."

"E5 Bakehouse offers all the homely warmth you could want from a pastry shop. Get cosy at the bakery’s gorgeous wooden tables and enjoy the smell of freshly baked bread in the background. Indulge in all the classics alongside some modern revamps."

"If your kids are learning about the Great Fire of London at school I thoroughly recommend a themed day out in the capital visiting all of the following major sights. Start with a visit to the Museum of London to wander around the Plague and Fire gallery. You can then easily walk to St Paul’s Cathedral, which was completely rebuilt after the original cathedral, Old St Paul’s, was burnt down in the 1666 fire."

"The Monument to the Great Fire of London is a structure that commemorates one of the famous events that occurred in London's history. The renowned event is the Great Fire of London, which affected the city. This monument serves as a way of remembering how the city survived the effects of the fire."

"The Monument is, apparently, the tallest isolated column in the world. It's not horrifically high at just 202 feet and, visitors can only reach 160 feet high as that's where the caged-in viewing platform is. You do have to walk all the way up, and all the way down, and there are 311 steps."

"Pastry Girls London is one of the leading cake suppliers in London that offers highly creative, ingenious design and rich and flavourful cakes to all their customers. Perfect for any celebrations and purposes, they can deliver the finest and best-tasting cakes that you can enjoy for your ultimate celebration. They can work on bespoke cakes for corporate events and private parties like birthdays, weddings, engagement and many others."