The Markerless Quest (London, England)

Hello and Happy Independence Day from the birthplace of America!

I have returned from that vacation I mentioned in my last post - my wonderful parents sent my husband Kevin and myself on a trip to Europe, which is something I've wanted to see for as long as I can remember. My favorite part was visiting Wales, which is the birthplace of my grandmother's grandmother, but the entire trip was amazing and we took more than two thousand pictures. Wales, incidentally, looks a lot like Pennsylvania - forests and mountains. 

I'll admit that it felt a little strange to be traveling and not looking for blue and gold markers to photograph. In fact, the first couple of days, I found myself looking for them purely out of habit, which made me laugh when I realized what I was doing. Many of our pictures were, in fact, of historical markers or signs, because I like to be able to reread them afterward and remember what I learned.

One of our days was spent on a bus tour of London, England. I can now say that I have actually walked on the streets of London, which is an item off my bucket list. There were many of those. We saw Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London, Tower Bridge, Big Ben, the London Eye, and Westminster Cathedral. (We also saw quite a bit of road work and construction, so we felt right at home.)

We also saw the oldest church in London, which is actually the subject of this post. The bus was not stopped long enough for me to photograph it to my own satisfaction, and unfortunately, with all the road work and "Future Friday" protests, the time we were able to spend off of the bus was not as long as we had hoped it might be, so going back for more pictures wasn't an option. Also, I apologize for the quality of the images I do have; they were taken through the windows of the bus, so there's some reflection interfering with the clarity.

I was able to catch this picture of their sign, because the fact that it's as old as it is really caught my attention - London itself was founded in 49 AD by the ancient Romans, and the church as you can see was founded in 675. But apart from this sign, there's a marker carved over another door which I didn't get to photograph - we pulled away too fast. All I really saw was the word Pennsylvania. Now why, I thought, would that be inscribed on an ancient church in London? I had to suppress my curiosity until we returned to our cruise ship and the wifi connection.

As it turns out, All Hallows by the Tower is where our own William Penn was baptized on October 23, 1644. This is apparently significant enough in the church's history that they engraved information to this effect over one of the building's many doors. He also received much of his education there as a boy. It was because of William's father, Admiral Penn, and his friend Samuel Pepys that the church survived the Great Fire of London in 1666, and they watched it blaze from the church's topmost tower.

Many other historical figures have had connections with this church as well; John Quincy Adams was married there in 1797. Being as close as it is to the Tower of London, they've had to be the ones to care for a number of beheading victims over the years, including Thomas More.

One of the doorways, though
regrettably not the William Penn one

The history of the church, as it appears on their website, is not very long but whets the appetite. It was founded by the Abbey of Barking in 675 as mentioned, which makes it 300 years older than the Tower of London. It started as a Saxon church, and it still contains an arch from the original building. It also has a crypt beneath the church, the contents of which include Roman pavement dating from the second century. However, the building which survives today only dates from the 1950s (which is how they got Penn's information over the door), because the previous incarnation was severely damaged in the Blitz during World War II.

All Hallows by the Tower is situated on Byward Street in London, and is part of the Diocese of London in the Church of England. The crypt museum houses a number of interesting relics, including William Penn's baptismal record, and can be visited during the church's regular visiting hours. Audio and guided tours of the church are available; the website also offers a virtual tour. Please check the website for visiting hours, scheduled services, and other information.

I have no idea when, or if, I'll be in London again. But All Hallows is on my list of places I want to give a second look if the chance befalls me - and if you get there, I hope you take the opportunity too.

Join me in two weeks for a return to my regular historical nonsense, and have a fun and safe July Fourth weekend!

Edit 8/7/2019: Karen Galle, of the PHMC, contacted me about this post a couple of days ago. The cartouche over the door at All Hallows by the Tower, which was the thing that caught my attention from the bus, technically is part of our historical marker program! Well, sort of. Here's what she told me:

In 2000, the PHMC contributed to the refurbishment of the cartouche above the door that you mentioned in the blog.  The Commission had originally thought to put up a marker in England to commemorate Penn, but since there already was this commemoration of him at the church where he was baptized, arrangements were made to contribute to its conservation. A delegation of PHMC staff attended the rededication ceremony.

Thanks for this information, Karen!

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Sources and Further Reading:

Official website of All Hallows by the Tower

Official All Hallows Facebook page

Official All Hallows Twitter account

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Except where indicated, all writing and photography on this blog is the intellectual property of Laura Klotz. This blog is written with permission of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. I am not employed by the PHMC. All rights reserved.