1. Searching for the Invisible
You are about to embark on a journey that will
pull you deeper into the heart of London. I will
share only a single day of my London
experience, using images and text. The
photographs that follow do their best to capture
what I saw, but they are only snapshots of a
moment, a place, a person. My words provide a
deeper meaning behind the photos, yet they too
are attempting to relay the inexplicable. Still, I
hope this journey allows you to see the city in a
new light. Only by looking deeper, questioning
more, and embracing new knowledge, will we
be able to find a London invisible to most.

2. This project began as a “Day Walk,” inspired by
Charles Dickens’s essay, “Night Walks.” Dickens
suffered from insomnia, so he walked the streets of
London at night. On these walks, he discovered
people and places that others often overlooked. I
wanted to embark on a similar walk in order to find a
hidden layer of London and form a meaningful,
personal connection to the city. My goal for this walk
was to visit fifteen churches. I was able to see every
church on my list, though I was only allowed inside a
few of them. On this walk, I realized that these
churches were invisible. Everyone on the streets
rushed by on their way to jobs, meetings, or meals.
When I entered these churches, I was almost always
alone. The magnificent churches concealed layers
upon layers of history, but no one took the time to
stop and visit. My “Day Walk” allowed me to see an
invisible piece of the puzzle that is London.

3. Numerous paradoxes make up another piece
of this puzzle. As you will see in the following
images, the churches I visited often exist in
the shadows of high-rise offices. Many are
boxed in by restaurants, shops, or other
buildings. The sterile exteriors of the Gherkin
and Lloyd’s paradoxically reside beside
churches that remain standing on their
medieval foundations. Another paradox I
found on my walk was the history of church
usage. Looking at the history of each
church, I saw a mirror of London’s past. The
churches played important roles during
different eras, yet the paradox lies in the vast
role-changes over time.

4. The final piece of the puzzle resides in a specific
church—St. Ethelburga’s, known now as The
Centre for Reconciliation and Peace. During my
stay in London, I searched for a “room” that could
encapsulate my experience in all its glory
(yes, perhaps I put too much pressure on finding
the perfect “room,” but the search was
successful). For much of the trip, I thought I would
find a park that could capture my view of London.
It came as a complete surprise when I discovered
St. Ethelburga’s. This room is comprised of not
only the church, but also “The Tent” located in its
memorial garden. St. Ethelburga’s operates within
London’s “society of rooms” and its role in this
society captures my London experience.

5. St. Botolph without Bishopsgate
 Bishopsgate, once
home to wealthy
Londoners, is now
home to numerous
office buildings.
 The church looked
so peaceful amidst
the heavy traffic on
the road and
sidewalks.

6. St. Botolph without Bishopsgate
 Walking into this
church, I found its
well-lit atmosphere
very open and
welcoming.
 It’s hard to imagine
that crusaders and
Templar Knights
faced charges of
corruption here in
the 14th century!

7. St. Botolph without Bishopsgate
 St. Botolph’s also
has positive claims
to fame—John
Keats was baptized
in this church.
 Its stained glass
window was my
favorite out of all the
churches due to its
vibrant colors and
the emotional scene
it depicts.

8. St. Botolph without Bishopsgate
 St. Botolph’s was
badly damaged
during the IRA
bombs, and this
stained-glass
window was created
as a memorial.
 Fortunately, the
church was restored
and re-opened in
1997.

9. St. Botolph without Bishopsgate
 I wanted to explore
the church’s garden
and encountered
this simple building.
 It used to be used
as a charity school.
 It is now defunct
and, thus, the
church is no longer
a social hub.

10. St. Botolph without Bishopsgate
 This grave marker
caught my eye, and
I have yet to figure
out the reason for
this arm.
 I felt it was an eerie
reminder of the body
buried underneath
the site, reaching
out to be noticed.

11. Turkish Bathhouse
 As I set off for the
next church, I passed
by this little gem.
 Its minute size was
countered by its
intricate tile designs,
showcasing the best
of Islamic
architecture.
 This was a visual
reminder of the
diversity of the city,
which the identical
office blocks tend to
overshadow.

12. All Hallows London Wall
 All Hallows London
Wall actually stands
on the foundations
of the historic
Roman and
medieval wall
around the city.
 Walking along the
side of the wall, I
didn’t even realize it
was a church until I
reached its
entrance!

13. All Hallows London Wall
 The interior of All
Hallows was much
smaller than its
exterior suggested.
 The nave lacks
pews because this
church is now a
“Guild Church.”
 In other words, it no
longer has parish
responsibilities.

14. All Hallows London Wall
 Since All Hallows no
longer functions as
regular church, it
often houses art
exhibits for charitable
foundations.
 The painting on the
left is from an exhibit
open while I was
there.
 The painting on the
right, “Ananias
restoring sight to St.
Paul,” is a permanent
feature of All Hallows.

15. Dutch Church, Austin Friars
 In 1253, an
Augustinian
monastery was
founded on this site.
 During the
Reformation, the
monastery was shut
down and became a
church for
Protestant Dutch
refugees.

16. Dutch Church, Austin Friars
 The Dutch Church’s
claim to fame is its
status as the oldest
Dutch-language
Protestant church in
the world.
 The church was
damaged during the
Blitz and
reconstructed in a
minimal, modern
style.

17. Dutch Church, Austin Friars
 Though the church
was not open when I
visited, it still
operates as an
independent parish
church.
 As you can see from
its sign, the church
conducts its
services completely
in Dutch.

18. Tower 42
 This imposing
building was a sight
to behold on my way
to the next
church, St.
Ethelburga’s.
 Many of the
churches I visited
are located beneath
the shadow of Tower
42, the seventh
tallest building in
London.

19. St. Ethelburga’s
 St. Ethelburga’s is the
smallest church in the
City of London.
 It is now the Centre
for Reconciliation and
Peace.
 Its slogan, “Building
relationships across
divisions,” perfectly
describes my special
“room.”

20. St. Ethelburga’s
 Though the church
was closed, I walked
through a tiny
passage to visit its
memorial garden.
 Even though it was
boxed in by office
buildings, I
immediately felt a
sense of serenity as
I entered the “room.”

21. St. Ethelburga’s
 At the back of the
garden, a door led
to “The Tent.”
 “The Tent” looks
exactly like its
inspiration—a
Bedouin tent.

22. St. Ethelburga’s
 A sign hanging on
the side of “The
Tent” explains that
the space was built
for the “meeting of
faiths.”
 Its door declares in
multiple languages,
“And be at Peace
among yourselves.”

23. St. Ethelburga’s
 Entering the Tent is
like entering another
world.
 This was the perfect
haven, separated
from the city and any
associated problems.
 It sounds cliché, but a
wave of acceptance
and peace washed
over me when I
entered the Tent.

24. St. Ethelburga’s
 The Tent was a
room that welcomed
all people, no matter
their religion or walk
of life.
 It even had a tiny
bookshelf that
contained the holy
books of multiple
religions.

25. St. Ethelburga’s
 There were seven
windows in the Tent.
 Each one looked
similar except for
the word at its base.
 Every window said
the word “Peace” in
a different language.

26. St. Ethelburga’s
 As I was soaking in
the Tent’s ambience,
a huge group of
children began
coming in, bringing
instruments, noise,
and contagious
excitement.
 They told me they
were about to give a
concert inside the
church, and I
obviously had to see
this adorable

27. St. Ethelburga’s
 This concert was
part of a conference,
World Music in
Education.
 According to the
group’s director,
these children
“supported one
another” as they
played, conducted,
and composed
music.

28. St. Ethelburga’s
 This amazing concert
functioned to bring
distant groups together
and demonstrate ideal
interactions among
diverse groups of
people.
 Holding events like this
concert, St.
Ethelburga’s
encourages peace
amidst diversity and
spreads this message
throughout London’s
“society of rooms.”

29. St. Helen Bishopsgate
 Hidden underneath
the Gherkin lies St.
Helen Bishopsgate.
 St. Helen’s appears
to have two naves
because it
historically was
separated into two
sections, one for
nuns and one for
parishioners.

30. St. Helen Bishopsgate
 St. Helen’s was
closed when I
visited, but it is said
to hold many
monuments from the
pre-Great Fire era.
 The inscription
above the entrance
reads, “Heaven and
Earth will pass away
but my words will
never pass away.”

31. St. Andrew Undershaft
 St. Andrew
Undershaft is one of
the few complete late
medieval churches
still standing in
London, but I could
not get inside the
rarely-open church.
 “Undershaft” refers to
a maypole that stood
beside the church
but, during the
Reformation, was
chopped down and
burned as a “heathen

32. St. Katherine Cree
 St. Katherine Cree
does not stand out
as a church and its
entrance is easy to
miss.
 Though the church
was almost
completely
destroyed during the
Reformation, its
tower remained and
dates back to 1504.

33. St. Katherine Cree
 St. Katherine’s was
another very well-lit
church with an
astounding stained-
glass window above
the altar.
 The ribbed ceiling
actually contains the
arms of every City
Livery Company that
has used the
church.

34. Spanish and Portuguese
Synagogue
 Though this building
is obviously not a
church, it holds
great importance as
the oldest surviving
synagogue in
England.
 The gated courtyard
was closed, so this
was as close as I
could get to the 18th
century synagogue.

35. St. Botolph without Aldgate
 Though surrounded
on all sides by busy
roads, St. Botolph’s
has an impressive
history.
 A church has stood
on this site for almost
one thousand years!
 During the Victorian
era, the red-light
district was located
nearby, so St.
Botolph’s was known
as the “Prostitutes’
church.”

36. St. Botolph without Aldgate
 Walking in the front
doors, I entered the
interesting baptistery.
 It held a few
monuments, but this
one was the most
colorful and ominous.
 This monument is
dedicated to Robert
Dow, a master of the
Merchant Taylors
Company.

37. St. Botolph without Aldgate
 St. Botolph’s has
connections with
several famous
literary figures.
 The best-known
connection is to
author Daniel Defoe,
who was married in
this church in the
late seventeenth
century.

38. St. Botolph without Aldgate
 Currently this church
focuses on its
ministry to the
area’s poor.
 The crypt has been
used to house
homeless men and
was described by
poet John Betjeman
as “more a mission
to the East End than
a City church.”

39. Crutched Friars Monument
 On my way to the
next church, I
passed by the two
Crutched Friars built
into a corner of a
building.
 This statue
memorializes the
abbey that existed
here until the
Dissolution of the
Monasteries.

40. St. Olave Hart Street
 St. Olave’s
namesake is
Norwegian king,
Olaf Haraldson.
 Olaf saved London
in the Battle of
London Bridge in
1014.
 His actions actually
inspired the famous
“London Bridge”
nursery rhyme!

41. St. Olave Hart Street
 When I entered St.
Olave’s, I saw a
homeless man in the
back pew sleeping.
 I found it sort of
shocking that he was
the only person I ran
across in my church
journey.
 It proved, once again,
that these churches
are invisible unless
you want or, in his
case, need to look
carefully.

42. St. Olave Hart Street
 Skulls appear over
the gates of St.
Olave’s churchyard,
known as “St.
Ghastly Grim.”
 Charles Dickens,
the inspiration for
my Walk, wrote of
how he “once felt
drawn to [St.
Ghastly Grim] in a
thunderstorm at
midnight.”

43. All Hallows by the Tower
 Approaching storm
clouds cast All
Hallows by the
Tower in a
forbidding light.
 The Blitz almost
completely
destroyed All
Hallows, but this led
to the discovery of
the church’s Roman
and Anglo-Saxon
foundations.

44. All Hallows by the Tower
 All Hallows has
American historical
connections.
 William Penn was
baptized in the church
and later imprisoned
in the Tower nearby.
 The sixth U.S.
president, John
Quincy Adams, was
married in this church.

45. St. Dunstan in the East
 St. Dunstan is no
longer a church
but, rather, the
remains of one.
 The Blitz destroyed
the church, so only
the tower and the
shell of the nave still
stand.

46. St. Dunstan in the East
 Beautiful flowers,
vines, and trees
grow throughout the
shell of the church.
 The tower is now
home to The Wren,
a Centre for Natural
Health and
Counselling, named
after St. Dunstan’s
architect.

47. St. Mary at Hill
 The entrance to St.
Mary’s is hard to
find, but it is worth the
search.
 The church was
almost torn down
during the
construction of the
Underground in 1894.
 3,000 bodies were
removed from the
crypt in preparation!

48. St. Mary at Hill
 In 1988, a fire tore
through St. Mary’s
and destroyed most
of the interior.
 Though the
restoration is almost
finished, there are
still no pews or altar,
so the church feels
quite empty and
hollow.

49. St. Margaret Pattens
 Christopher Wren
rebuilt St.
Margaret’s, as he
did many City
churches.
 Its spire truly stands
out from the office
blocks surrounding
it, and it is the third
highest City church
spire.

50. St. Margaret Pattens
 Inside St. Margaret’s,
people were setting up
for an event (part of
Celebrate the City).
 On my way out, I
passed by an exhibit
that contained actual
“pattens.”
 “Pattens” were wooden
clogs that helped
Londoners walk
through the filth and
debris covering
medieval roads.

51. St. Magnus the Martyr
 St. Magnus was
closed, so I was not
able to explore the
inside like I had
hoped.
 But this church was
very important as
one of the ends of
London
Bridge, making it the
busiest entry point
into medieval
London.

52. With my journey complete, I felt like I had
unlocked a layer of London. My Day Walk
provided me with proof of the paradoxes
existing in such a multifaceted city. It also
allowed me to discover a “room” of my
own, which could explain the lessons I
learned about diversity and understanding. I
gained insight into the complexity of London
and, in the end, found my own “Invisible
City.”
The city, however, does not tell its past, but
contains it like the lines of a hand.”
-Italo Calvino, Invisible Cities

53. Works Cited
 Millar, Stephen. London’s City Churches.
London: Metro Publications, 2011. Print.