Wren Church Pilgrimage - London

St. Bride's Church

As we gathered at the station for our pilgrimage to London, there was a lot of anticipation of what may lay ahead. The pilgrimage would take us to just 6 of the 51 Wren churches in London, all of them are places of prayer, beauty, resilience, and hope. All of them are special architecturally, but more importantly for us, they stand as a witness to centuries of worship in the city.

Rising from the ashes of the Great Fire of London, they remind us that faith can rebuild, renew, and endure.

The day gave us an opportunity to slow down, to listen, to pray, and to notice the presence of God in stone, silence, light, and community.

As pilgrims, we would walk in the footsteps of countless Londoners who have sought comfort, forgiveness, wisdom, and joy within these sacred spaces. Our verse to reflect on was: Psalm 122: 1 ‘I was glad when they said to me, let us go to the house of the Lord’

Our first stop was St Bride's Church, now known as the church of journalism. Robin shared much of its history with us in the crypt, where Roman remains can still be seen. We then went upstairs into the church itself and heard about the worshipping community today and the ministry they continue to offer. There was also a moving memorial to journalists who have lost their lives in war zones, alongside a celebration of all those involved in bringing news and reporting to the wider world.

We then moved on to Wren’s masterpiece, St Paul's Cathedral. Rising above Ludgate Hill, it towers over the city as a sign of God’s glory. Here we worshipped together in the Eucharist, and as we sat and prayed beneath the great dome, we could sense the majesty and awe of God. It was a special time to worship together in such a beautiful and sacred space.

As lunchtime approached, we stopped at St Mary Aldermary, where a café called Host Cafe has been created within the church. Run as a social enterprise, it is built around an ethos of welcoming everyone who comes through its doors. Their vision is:

'Rooted in the city's history and welcoming to all, a place of hospitality sanctuary and warmth, where faith and community meet'

It was a welcome stop, made even better by delicious focaccia sandwiches and a hot drink.

We then moved on to St Lawrence Jewry, a guild church located next to the historic Guildhall. As the official church of the City of London Corporation, it seeks to be a beacon of Christ’s light and peace in the midst of the bustling City.

We also stopped briefly at St Mary-le-Bow, famous for its historic bells.

It was then a short walk to St Stephen Walbrook, where we were immediately struck by the centrally placed altar designed by Henry Moore. Lee, the verger, gave us a wonderfully engaging talk in story form. He explained how the altar was installed despite considerable opposition, led by the then Rector, Chad Varah.

Chad Varah’s vision for the church had a profound impact, most notably through his founding of Samaritans in 1953, which continues to offer hope and a listening ear to those in distress.

Our final Wren church was St Martin, Ludgate, which is very rarely open, so it was a privilege to be able to worship there at Evening Prayer. It provided another opportunity for us to gather in worship together at the end of a most memorable day.

The lessons for the evening were read by Paula Gooder, which was a lovely surprise!

Here are some of the comments that people said after they returned home:

'Thank you again for a fascinating day, we enjoyed ourselves a lot. It was inspiring to learn of the ministry of the churches that continue to this day'

'Thank you so much for a wonderful day visiting some of the Wren churches in the city of London. You had obviously spent a lot of time preparing the programme and giving us a very memorable experience. I am still processing what we learnt, thank you again.'

'There was much to take in on our pilgrimage, so many sacred spaces to encounter God within as well as seeing God at work in the everyday life of the city. I think part of the day is enjoying the fellowship with each other, it was a lovely group, varied but moving as the body of Christ together'

If you are interested in coming on a pilgrimage day or finding our more, do get in touch on spirtualgrowth@sharonseal.org