What did Christopher Wren and St Mary Aldermary slate plaque do at 69 Watling Street?

The Story

# St Mary Aldermary: Wren's Medieval Puzzle Standing at 69 Watling Street in the heart of the City, you're looking at the site where Christopher Wren confronted one of his most unusual commissions following the Great Fire of 1666—a church whose medieval parishioners demanded their ancient sanctuary be rebuilt not in his preferred classical style, but faithfully reconstructed to its original Gothic plan. Between 1679 and 1682, Wren's office executed this remarkable compromise, creating a building that honored centuries of worship while employing cutting-edge Baroque plasterwork, a tension visible in every fan-vaulted ceiling that rises overhead. This church became Wren's only major work in the perpendicular Gothic mode, born not from his architectural philosophy but from the stubborn medieval footprint preserved in the parish's collective memory and legal rights. Walking past this building today, you're witnessing Wren's rare moment of architectural humility—proof that even the greatest designer had to listen to the voices of the City's oldest communities, and that sometimes the most innovative solution is knowing when to honor the past rather than reinvent it.