St Augustine Watling Street, London
St Augustine Watling Street was an Anglican church formerly located just to the east of St Paul's Cathedral in the City of London. It was destroyed in the Second World War but its remains now form part of St Paul's Cathedral Choir School.
Its foundation date is unknown, but it is first recorded circa 1148. It was destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666 but was rebuilt in the 1680s. The church was constructed in an austere style, with a barrel vault resting on Ionic columns. Its distinctive tower was constructed in the 1690s – it is thought to have been designed by Nicholas Hawksmoor – and was heavily modified in 1830.
The entire church was destroyed in 1941. It was not rebuilt, but as part of the construction works for the new choir school (completed 1967) the tower was reconstructed along its original lines. It is physically incorporated into the concrete building of the choir school, creating a marked contrast between the Baroque tower and the modernist school building.
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