Pregled posta

Marketing

London E2, Shoreditch
Promenades & Streetscapes,
St Leonard's Shoreditch
St Leonard's, Shoreditch is the ancient parish church of Shoreditch, often known simply as Shoreditch Church. It is located at the intersection of Shoreditch High Street with Hackney Road, within the London Borough of Hackney. The current building dates from about 1740. The church is mentioned in the line "When I grow rich, say the bells of Shoreditch" from the nursery rhyme Oranges and Lemons[1] and is noted as being the resting place of many actors from the Tudor period.
For the civil and ecclesiastical history of the parish, see Shoreditch (parish).

The original church is possibly Saxon in origin, though the first historical reference to it occurs in the 12th century.
Memorial to Tudor actors buried in the church

The church was situated near The Theatre, England's first purpose built playhouse, built in Shoreditch in 1576, and the nearly contemporary Curtain Theatre (built in 1577).[2] Several members of the theatrical profession, from the Elizabethan period are buried in the church including:

* James Burbage, the founder of The Theatre, England's first playhouse.
* His son Richard, who was the leading man in many of Shakespeare's plays, which were first performed in the contemporary Shoreditch theatres.
* The comedian Richard Tarlton, who was a stalwart of the pre-Shakespearian stage.

These, with others of their profession from the period, are commemorated by a large classical memorial erected by the London Shakespeare League in 1913, inside the church, which serves as a reminder of Shoreditch's Shakespearian heritage.

In 1774, the Shoreditch Vestry levied a special poor rate for the purpose of setting up a workhouse for the parish of St Leonard's which highlights the level of poverty in the area.[2]
[edit] Current building
One of the bells, removed for maintenance

Following the partial collapse of the tower in 1716 the medieval church was rebuilt in Palladian style built by George Dance the Elder in 1736 - 1740,[1] with a soaring steeple 192 feet tall, an imitation of Christopher Wren's magnificent steeple on St Mary-le-Bow in Cheapside,[1] and a giant four columned, pedimented Tuscan portico. Inside the church the entablature is supported by giant Doric columns. The new church was designed by George Dance, architect of the Mansion House. Many original 18th century fixtures and fittings remain, including the font, the pulpit, the communion table, clock, organ case, bread cupboards and commandment boards. It was lit with gaslight in 1817, the first in London.
The Rev'd Paul Turp, Vicar of Shoreditch

The parish stocks and whipping post stand in the porch of the church and in the churchyard is the Shoreditch parish pump.

DSC03400
Shoreditch church (dedicated to St Leonard) is of ancient origin and features in the famous line: 'when I grow rich say the bells of Shoreditch', from the nursery rhyme: Oranges and Lemons.
The original church is possibly Saxon in origin, though the first historical reference to it occurs in the 12th century.
It is noted as the burial place of several members of the theatrical profession, from the Elizabethan period, including:
James Burbage, the founder of The Theatre, England's first playhouse, built in Shoreditch in 1576.
His son Richard, who was the leading man in many of Shakespeare's plays, which were first performed in the contemporary Shoreditch theatres.
The comedian Richard Tarlton, who was a stalwart of the pre-Shakespearian stage.
These, with others of their profession from the period, are commemorated by a large classical memorial erected by the London Shakespeare League in 1913, inside the church, which serves as a reminder of Shoreditch's Shakespearian heritage.
[edit]Current building



The Revd Paul Turp
Following the partial collapse of of the tower in 1716 the medieval church was rebuilt in Palladian style 1736-40, with a soaring steeple of original design, 192 feet tall, and a giant four columned, pedimented Tuscan portico. Inside the church the entablature is supported by giant Doric columns. The new church was designed by George Dance, architect of the Mansion House. Many original eighteenth century fixtures and fittings remain, including the font, the pulpit, the communion table, clock, organ case, bread cupboards and commandment boards. It was lit with gaslight in 1817, the first in London. One of its parishioners at that time was James Parkinson, after whom Parkinson's disease is named.
The parish stocks and whipping post stand in the porch of the church and in the churchyard is the Shoreditch parish pump