About Us

Grade 1 listed, the existing building was completed in 1765 by George Dance the Younger (1741-1825). The old Roman Wall of the City of London runs directly under the north wall of the church nave, so the church is, quite literally, 'on the wall'. The original All Hallows was built around 1120 and was one of the few London churches to survive the Great Fire of 1666. A century on, since the medieval church was in a poor state of repair, Dance chose to demolish it and create a new church in classical style. The pulpit is set directly against the wall, the City boundary. To reach it, the Vicar uses an external stair, literally leaving London and then returning to preach! The church suffered minor damage by bombs during the Blitz, but the restoration was sympathetically performed and does not detract from the overall effect of Dance's work. It was damaged again by IRA bombs in 1993 and again restored.

In the 12th Century, the Church was famous for the anchorites (individual hermits) based there, but by the 19th century, it became noted for its mission to the poor, including women in domestic service, who would take the early trains into the City to avoid peak fares. This led to the Vicar of the Church, the Reverend Sir Montague Fowler, 4th Baronet, to provide special services for their benefit and to construct buildings behind the Church to be used as an educational institute. As a result of these efforts, the Church had one of the largest congregations in the City, at a time when many City Churches were beginning to seem redundant.

After the War, the City of London (Guild Churches) Act, 1952, allowed the Bishop of London to designate certain churches—out of the 50+ which exist within the City of London—as Guild Churches. Their role was, and is, to cater for the non-resident population of London (unlike a Parish Church ministering to those actually living within its Parish boundary, who were becoming, inexorably, fewer in number). 

Perhaps echoing the work of Reverend Fowler, for the past 10 years, All Hallows has been home to XLP, an amazing organisation which seeks to help young, disadvantaged people across the capita—work which has been honoured by visits from the Prince and Princess of Wales. The church also hosts an evangelical congregation, City Gates, on Sundays and odd times during the week, whose mission is very much focussed on the needy and deprived. The building enjoys the support of Friends of City Churches who provide a welcome when the building is not otherwise in use.