St Edmund King & Martyr

• St Edmund, King and Martyr is in Lombard Street

• In 1292, the church is first recorded as 'Saint Edmund towards Garcherche', and it reappears in 1348 as 'Saint Edmund in Lombardestrete'. John Stow, in his Survey of London 1598, also refers to it as St Edmund Grass Church.

• The medieval church was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1666. After the fire the parish was united with that of St Nicholas Acons, which was also destroyed and not rebuilt. The present church was constructed to the designs of Wren in 1670-1679, with a tower ornamented at the angles by flaming urns in allusion to the Great Fire. George Godwin described the tower as "more Chinese than Italian", while James Peller Malcolm called it "rather handsome, but of that species of architecture which is difficult to describe so as to be understood".

• The orientation of the church is unusual, with the altar towards the north, instead of east. • In September 1868 a riot occurred outside the church, as a consequence of one of a series of Friday morning sermons given by the Rev. J L Lyne- known as "Father Ignatius" - in which he had spoken disparagingly of the traders of Lombard Street

• The church was restored in 1864 and 1880. It was damaged by bombing in 1917. It has housed the London Centre for Spirituality and its associated bookshop since 2001, but is still a consecrated church.

• The church was designated a Grade I listed building on 4 January 1950.