Another in the occasional series on churches built by Wren after the Great Fire of 1666 that have been lost since …
St Matthew Friday Street was originally built around 1261. It was burnt down in the Great Fire of 1666, and rebuilt by Wren in 1681-7, only to be demolished in 1881, when the parish was merged with St Vedast-alias-Foster.
Only some parish boundary markers survive at its former site. Some salvaged interior fittings also survive, in St Andrew-by-the-Wardrobe and St Vedast-alias-Foster.
St Matthew Friday Street parish boundary marker
Sir Hugh Myddelton (1555-1631), one of the architects of the “New River”, was buried in St Matthew’s, where he had served as a warden. Concerted attempts to locate his coffin and monument following the church’s demolition were ultimately unsuccessful.
The site of the church is visited on our “Lost Wren churches” themed special.
Further details of all our walks are available in the “Guided Walks” section of this web-site.
Bookings may be made through the “Contact/Booking” section of the web-site, by e-mail (lostcityoflondon@sky.com), or by phone (020-8998-3051).
Thanks for your query – and interest in my blogs …
I’m not sure if I can provide an accurate answer.
The church of St Peter (West)Cheap was burned down in the Great Fire of London in 1666, and was not rebuilt afterwards, but the churchyard evidently remained in use until either 1812 or 1846 (sources differ), so it is possible that someone could have been buried there in 1832, as per the entry in the register. The churchyard, on Wood Street, is now a small city garden. Three gravestones may still be seen there.
After the fire, the parish of St Peter was merged with that of St Matthew Friday Street, which was rebuilt in 1681-7. Burials continued to take place at St Matthew’s until 1846. A number of coffins with name plates were dug up, and reburied in the City of London Cemetery, after the church was demolished, in 1883.
If someone was buried in 1832 in the Rector’s Vault at St Peter’s Cheapside (as per the register), would that have been the physical location or would it have been at St Matthew Friday Street?