St Bride’s Church

St Bride's Church tickets: which one to buy

Saint Bride's Church stands just off Fleet Street in the City of London, hidden behind buildings and reached by a narrow passage, and entry is free. It is famous as the journalists' church, because Fleet Street was the home of the British newspaper industry, and for its tall, tiered spire, said to have inspired the shape of the traditional wedding cake. The crypt, with a museum of the church's history and Roman remains, is also free to visit.

Guided tours are offered on certain days and are worth taking, as they include parts of the crypt not normally open. Walking tours of the City of London and of Fleet Street pass the church, together with Temple Church, Saint Paul's Cathedral and Dr Johnson's House. Lunchtime recitals are held regularly, and the choir is highly regarded. The church is a short walk from Blackfriars station. Guided tours are usually offered on Tuesdays and must be booked through the church office.

Visiting St Bride's Church: what to see

A church has stood on this site for many centuries, possibly since the sixth century, and excavations after the Blitz revealed Roman remains and the foundations of seven earlier churches. The medieval church was destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666, and Sir Christopher Wren rebuilt it between 1671 and 1678, adding the spire in 1703, the tallest of his City church spires at about seventy metres. The church was gutted by incendiary bombs in December 1940, and it was restored after the war, with the interior redesigned in collegiate style with facing pews. A chapel honours journalists who have died in the course of their work, with photographs and memorials.

The crypt museum displays Roman pavement, medieval remains and the history of printing in Fleet Street, where the first printing press was set up by Wynkyn de Worde, who is buried in the church. Samuel Pepys was baptised here. The altarpiece and reredos were reconstructed after the war in the style of Wren. The church's twelve bells ring out over Fleet Street, and the ringers are among the most active in London. The crypt contains a charnel house with bones arranged in rows, rediscovered after the bombing. Stained glass windows in the east end show the Crucifixion. A memorial to the writer Samuel Richardson stands in the church.

St Bride's Church opening hours and the best time to go

The church is open daily, with shorter hours at weekends, and the crypt is accessible during opening times. Weekdays are lively with office workers in the City, and lunchtime concerts are held on certain days. Weekends in the City are quiet, as many businesses are closed. London is busy all year, with peaks in summer and at Christmas; carol services at Saint Bride's are popular. Allow about half an hour for the church and crypt, or an hour with a guided tour, and walk east along Fleet Street to Saint Paul's Cathedral. The Old Bank of England pub and Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, a seventeenth-century tavern, are a few minutes' walk along Fleet Street.