St Mary Magdalen Old Fish Street

St. Mary Magdalen Old Fish Street was the only one of the eight churches in the post-Fire City of London named "St. Mary" to be dedicated to the penitent Mary Magdalene rather than the Virgin Mary. Old Fish Street formerly ran from the Thames towards St. Paul's Cathedral and was the location of a fish market since medieval times. The street was incorporated into Knightrider Street in 1872. The earliest surviving reference to the church is in a document of 1181, as "St Mary Magdalen". Other medieval records refer to the church as "St. Marie Magdal in Piscaria apud sanctum Paulum", "St. Marie Magdal parish at the Fishmarket", "St. Marie Magdalen Eldefisshestrete" and "St. Mary Magdalen at…

The plan for St. Mary Magdalen's was roughly rectangular, with the north wall tapering slightly towards the east. The two street frontages – to the east on Old Fish Street and to the south on Old Change – were faced with Portland stone. Underneath, the material was stone rubble. There were four large round-headed windows on the south, and three similar windows on the east, each window flanked by pilasters capped by volutes. Entry to the church was through a door under the western window on the south front. The roof was balustraded. The tower was erected next to the north-western wall of the church and stood 86 ft. high. This had a stone spire, consisting of an octagonal pyramid of five…