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CHRISTS HOSPITAL

ALTERNATIVE NAME:

BLUE COAT SCHOOL

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Christ’s Hospital was founded in 1547 reusing the buildings of the Greyfriars. The former church became parochial. Much of the hospital was severely damaged in the Great Fire. The Great Hall, formerly the refectory, was rebuilt in 1680, and the Eastern range, or dormitory, in 1705. The Whittington Library in the North range appears to have survived the Great Fire, but was demolished in 1827. Wren built the Latin School over the South cloister walk in 1682. This was the sole remaining fragment of the Mediaeval Greyfriars until it was demolished in 1902, when the hospital moved to Surrey, and the General Post Office was built over most of the site. Wren rebuilt the quire as Christ Church in 1687-1704. Accounts at the time make it clear that the Mediaeval church was removed to foundation level. The church was destroyed in the Blitz in 1941. A keyhole excavation in 1976 located the South side of the quire.

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1.[Name centred TQ31948143]. CHRIST'S HOSPITAL [GT] (Site of)

Christ’s Hospital was founded in 1547 reusing the buildings of the Greyfriars. The former church became parochial. Much of the hospital was severely damaged in the Great Fire. The Great Hall, formerly the refectory, was rebuilt in 1680, and the Eastern range, or dormitory, in 1705. The Whittington Library in the North range appears to have survived the Great Fire, but was demolished in 1827. Wren built the Latin School over the South cloister walk in 1682. This was the sole remaining fragment of the Mediaeval Greyfriars until it was demolished in 1902, when the hospital moved to Surrey, and the General Post Office was built over most of the site. Wren rebuilt the quire as Christ Church in 1687-1704. Accounts at the time make it clear that the Mediaeval church was removed to foundation level. The church was destroyed in the Blitz in 1941. A keyhole excavation in 1976 located the South side of the quire. (2-3)

Christ's Hospital school opened in 1552 when Edward VI granted the City of London the Grey Friars' buildings on Newgate Street as a school and foundling hospital. It was re-built after the Great Fire of London with Sir Christopher Wren as consulting architect. The writing school was added in 1696 to designs by Nicholas Hawksmoor. In 1902 the building was demolished. The school is now located at Horsham, Sussex. (3, 4)

The National Grid Reference for the building is: TQ31948143 (5)

SOURCE TEXT

( 1) Ordnance Survey Map (Scale / Date)

OS 1/1250 1953

(2) edited by Ben Weinreb and Christopher Hibbert 1983 The London encyclopeadia

Page(s)155

(3) by A R Martin 1937 Franciscan architecture in England

Page(s)176-204

(4) Elain Harwood 2010 England's Schools. History, architecture and adaptation

Page(s)5

(5) Ordnance Survey Map (Scale / Date)

1:1250, 2008

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LONDON GREYFRIARS

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The site of a Franciscan Friary. This was the second Franciscan house founded in England, first at a house in Cornhill in 1224, and from 1225 on their...

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