Barbican Living
St Giles Without Cripplegate
To give an idea of relative importance and population, ten or more churches were built in Cripplegate Within, and just one in Cripplegate Without (the Barbican). It was built in 1090 by Alfune, the Norman bishop of London. He called it St Giles Without Cripplegate, meaning it was outside the Cripple Gate. As explained above, the word Cripplegate has nothing to do with cripples, but people came to assume it did, as memory of the original meaning was lost. That is probably why the church was dedicated to St Giles, the patron saint of beggars and cripples.
The ancient-looking church which survives in the centre of the Barbican complex is not Alfune’s church. That church was deemed impossibly unfashionable in the 14th century and it was pulled down and rebuilt in the Perpendicular or Gothic style during Richard II’s reign. Building began in 1394. It has been burnt and restored three times since. The first fire was in 1545 during the reign of Henry VIII. It escaped the Great Fire of London in 1666, but was badly burnt in the Cripplegate Fire of 1897.
In December 1941, it was burnt by incendiary bombs and only the walls and tower survived. After the war, it was rebuilt under the guidance of Godfrey Allen. He managed to uncover Henry VIII’s restoration plans, still preserved in Lambeth Palace, so he was able to restore the church fairly close to its appearance in Tudor times. Andrewes House is named for Lancelot Andrewes, St Giles’ most famous vicar.
Outside, St Giles' looks Tudor rather than mediaeval in style. Inside, it’s a very pleasant building. Since it was all rebuilt internally after the War, it is not surprising that the feel is rather untraditional.
