HERITAGE

St Botolph without Aldgate, to which the Aldgate Centre is attached, boasts a rich heritage. Upon entering through the bright glass-ceilinged corridor connecting the buildings, you can admire the beautiful stained glass and the textures of the old church walls.

The current St Botolph's church was built in 1744, but a church on this site was mentioned as early as 1125. Designed by City Surveyor George Dance the Elder, who is also known for Mansion House, the church has a significant architectural history. In 1965, a fire broke out in the church, destroying vestments, stained glass, memorials, and woodwork. The church was restored and re-hallowed in the presence of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother in 1966.

The interior of St Botolph's is well worth exploring when the building is open, as it hosts many beautiful features and memorials:

• A floor tablet, located immediately upon entering, commemorates the 'longest night' of the London Blitz in 1941 when 1,486 people were killed in London. This spot marks where a bomb fragment, which fell through the roof, embedded itself.
• There is a beautiful stucco ceiling of angels, created by John Francis Bentley, who remodelled the ceiling and the gallery's white balustrades between 1888 and 1893.
• The church organ, the oldest working organ in the country, predates the current church (circa 1705) and is attributed to the organ builder Renatus Harris.

St Botolph, Aldgate - A London Inheritance