All Hallows by the Tower, City of London

The  church of All Hallows is a quiet place to contemplate the saga of Christian persecution and witness that has taken place here

It was briefly the burial place of St John Fisher, a small plaque by the main entrance recording that his body was kept here for a couple of weeks after his execution on 22 June 1545. It was later moved to the chapel inside the Tower of London, as described below.

The church’s welcoming interior has an extensive display at the back, describing the fate of those executed on Tower Hill. The church is sometimes called All Hallows Barking Church because it is often assumed that it was founded as an outpost of Barking Abbey in the 7th century. The abbey is 7 miles to the east. A Saxon archway can be seen at the back of the nave under the tower, thought by some to date from the first church.

It is certainly the oldest known ecclesiastical structure in London. Down in the crypt are more remains from Saxon years, including part of a circular cross head, and a surprising amount of Roman-era fragments found on the site. Bomb damage during the Second World War helped uncover some of these artefacts. 

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Directions

All Hallows by the Tower, Byward Street, London EC3R 5BJ

www.ahbtt.org.uk

W3W: react.jazzy.nods

GPS: 51.5095N 0.0794W

Tower Hill London Underground station 100m

The tower, church and execution site are within 200m of each other. The execution memorial is not immediately obvious (see photo opposite); it is on the other side of the road from the Tower of London, 20m from the prominent war memorial set up to honor sailors of the merchant navy.

Behind the monument is a sunken garden, and the execution site is just outside that, on the corner nearest to All Hallows by the Tower church,which is 90m away on the opposite side of the road.

The church is open daily apart from bank holidays. The Tower of London is also open daily, Tuesday to Saturday 9:30am–4:30pm, Sunday to Monday10am–4:30pm. Last admission is 30 minutes before closing. Online tickets £24.70 adults, £19:30 concessions, £11.70 children 5–15; tickets cost more if purchased on site.