Fire & Phoenix

"In this captivating drama, playwright Kate Glover has brought back the time and place, capturing not only the immensity of the event, but also the sometimes shocking human dramas it produced ... The company of 8 talented actors essay a total of 18 characters, a complex director’s juggling act, expertly handled ... The sparingly used, but threatening sound of the fire was a leitmotif I found very powerful. Beautifully costumed and lit, and with some lovely artwork by Sharon Lovett Lampi on the backcloth, the company are to be congratulated on this showing. It augurs well for their onward itinerary which includes the ‘fire churches’, surely to be one of the events of the season." (Saul Reichlin)

Fire & Phoenix is at St Stephen Walbrook on Wednesday 23 November, 7.30pm. Tickets £15 (£12 concessions) available on the door.

Fire & Phoenix is a new play to mark the 350th anniversary of the Great Fire of London. The play opens in the bakery of Thomas Farynor, King's Baker, just before midnight on 1 September 1666. It's a swelteringly hot night. There has been no rain for months. Thomas assures his daughter that he has checked the fires...

The fire starts within hours; for three days it rages terrifyingly, helped by a ferocious East wind. Lord Mayor Bludworth is useless. Samuel Pepys takes practical measures, and liaises with the King, Charles II. The people lose everything and camp out at Moorfields. Foreigners and 'papists' are blamed for the fire and so are ferociously attacked. People are hysterical. St Paul's burns: a vision of Hell.

A Frenchman is hanged for starting the fire, but was he really guilty? What about Farynor? Pepys has his suspicions...

Despite the toll of 89 churches, 1300 houses and 200,000 people made homeless, Christopher Wren, in a moving final scene with Pepys, has a strong sense of hope, and believes that London, like the Phoenix, will rise from the ashes.

Historia Theatre Company is Registered Charity 1099807, founded in 2003 to put on plays that have their source in or inspiration from history. Previous productions include Evelina (2004), Five Eleven (2005), An African’s Blood (2007-8), Judenfrei: Love and Death in Hitler’s Germany (2010-11), The Sound of Breaking Glass (2012-13), Queen Anne (2014), Magna Carta (2015).

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Ralph McTell - Streets of London.

London's Burning and Fire & Phoenix

London's Burning is a Great Fire 350th Anniversary Concert on 12th November 2016 at 7.30pm in St Stephen Walbrook. Join the Myriad Singers “at the scene” to commemorate the Great Fire of London 1666. Hear John Tavener's stunning but rarely-heard piece 'The World is Burning' for choir and tam-tam. Music contemporary with the Great Fire from Tomkins, Locke and Blow and pieces by Monteverdi, Gesualdo and Lauridsen, interspersed with readings of eye-witness accounts of the Great Fire.

Fire & Phoenix is a new play to mark the 350th anniversary of the Great Fire of London.

The play opens in the bakery of Thomas Farynor, King's Baker, just before midnight on 1 September 1666. It's a swelteringly hot night. There has been no rain for months. Thomas assures his daughter that he has checked the fires...

The fire starts within hours; for three days it rages terrifyingly, helped by a ferocious East wind. Lord Mayor Bludworth is useless. Samuel Pepys takes practical measures, and liaises with the King, Charles II. The people lose everything and camp out at Moorfields. Foreigners and 'papists' are blamed for the fire and so are ferociously attacked. People are hysterical. St Paul's burns: a vision of Hell.

A Frenchman is hanged for starting the fire, but was he really guilty? What about Farynor? Pepys has his suspicions...

Despite the toll of 89 churches, 1300 houses and 200,000 people made homeless, Christopher Wren, in a moving final scene with Pepys, has a strong sense of hope, and believes that London, like the Phoenix, will rise from the ashes.

Historia Theatre Company is Registered Charity 1099807, founded in 2003 to put on plays that have their source in or inspiration from history. Previous productions include Evelina (2004), Five Eleven (2005), An African’s Blood (2007-8), Judenfrei: Love and Death in Hitler’s Germany (2010-11), The Sound of Breaking Glass (2012-13), Queen Anne (2014), Magna Carta (2015).

Fire & Phoenix is at the Bridewell Theatre from 15 - 19 November, then tours 'Fire' Churches including St Stephen Walbrook on Wednesday 23 November, 7.30pm. Tickets £15 (£12 concessions) available on the door. To reserve places, email priest@ststephenwalbrook.net.

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Morten Lauridsen - Sure on this Shining Night.

Fire & Phoenix

Fire & Phoenix is a new play to mark the 350th anniversary of the Great Fire of London.

The play opens in the bakery of Thomas Farynor, King's Baker, just before midnight on 1 September 1666. It's a swelteringly hot night. There has been no rain for months. Thomas assures his daughter that he has checked the fires...

The fire starts within hours; for three days it rages terrifyingly, helped by a ferocious East wind. Lord Mayor Bludworth is useless. Samuel Pepys takes practical measures, and liaises with the King, Charles II. The people lose everything and camp out at Moorfields. Foreigners and 'papists' are blamed for the fire and so are ferociously attacked. People are hysterical. St Paul's burns: a vision of Hell.

A Frenchman is hanged for starting the fire, but was he really guilty? What about Farynor? Pepys has his suspicions...

Despite the toll of 89 churches, 1300 houses and 200,000 people made homeless, Christopher Wren, in a moving final scene with Pepys, has a strong sense of hope, and believes that London, like the Phoenix, will rise from the ashes.

Historia Theatre Company is Registered Charity 1099807, founded in 2003 to put on plays that have their source in or inspiration from history. Previous productions include Evelina (2004), Five Eleven (2005), An African’s Blood (2007-8), Judenfrei: Love and Death in Hitler’s Germany (2010-11), The Sound of Breaking Glass (2012-13), Queen Anne (2014), Magna Carta (2015).

Fire & Phoenix is at the Bridewell Theatre from 15 - 19 November, then tours 'Fire' Churches including St Stephen Walbrook on Wednesday 23 November, 7.30pm. Tickets £15 (£12 concessions) available on the door. To reserve places, email priest@ststephenwalbrook.net.

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The Crazy World of Arthur Brown - Fire.

Great Fire 350: Radio 4 Sunday Worship & Songs of Praise

It's not too late to listen to 'Phoenix from the Ashes', the BBC Radio 4 Sunday Worship service that I led at St Stephen Walbrook to mark the 350th anniversary of the Great Fire. The service features the Bishop of London Richard Chartres preaching on the theme of the Great Fire.

The BBC were back at St Stephen Walbrook this morning to record material for the edition of Songs of Praise which will also mark Great Fire 350. The Great Fire of London in 1666 was described as an act of God and in this edition Pam Rhodes will explore why and discovers the new city churches that formed the heart of the city that rose from the ashes.

Early on Sunday, 2nd September 1666, a fire in a bakery near London Bridge became out of control and a strong wind fanned the flames westward. Not only the wooden houses, but warehouses, public buildings and churches were consumed in the fierce heat - molten lead running in the gutters, while stone was burnt to lime. The Great Fire destroyed over three quarters of the City.

A large number of the City Churches were rebuilt, many designed by Sir Christopher Wren, including one of his most famous, St Stephen Walbrook.

The ever increasing range and diversity of Christian worship in the City Churches today was celebrated in the Radio 4 service by including contributions from some of the newer priests in the City, including Rev David Ingall from St Sepulchre's, and Revd Sally Muggeridge from St Stephen's.

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Illuminare Choir - Ubi Caritas.

All Hallows by the Tower: The Great City Photography Project

I'm pleased to have had some of my Windows on the World photographs included in The Great City Photography Project at All Hallows by the Tower.

In commemoration of the 350th anniversary of the Great Fire of London, All Hallows by the Tower has developed an exciting public photography project for everyone who works or lives in the City of London.

The City of London looks very different now from even, say, 40 years ago. The scale of new building calls to mind another time of rapid rebuilding: after the Great Fire of 1666, when a 'more beautiful City' of brick and stone replaced the medieval wooden houses that were destroyed.

To commemorate the 350th anniversary of the Great Fire in September 2016, those who live or work in the 'square mile' of the City were invited to contribute to a public photography project, art installation and exhibition. 

The Great City Photography Project is on display at All Hallows by the Tower from 1 September - 30 October, featuring a new installation by the artist Victoria Burgher, as well as a selection of the many wonderful photographs taken by members of the City of London community. Admission free, open daily during normal church opening hours.

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Delirious? - Fires Burn.

Exhibition: London Ablaze

Major celebrations are taking place in The City of London to mark the 350th anniversary of the Great Fire, which occurred between 2nd and 5th September 1666. 

As part of these celebrations, the Worshipful Company of Glass Sellers of London, a City Livery Company, has chosen 10 London secondary schools each to design a piece of glass artwork on the theme of the Great Fire, in collaboration with a leading contemporary glass artist. The resulting works from these collaborations will be on display at an exhibition, London Ablaze, at the church of St Stephen Walbrook, next to the Mansion House, at the heart of the City on Thursday 1 st and Friday 2nd September (10am - 4pm). The Friday is the 350th anniversary of the day the Great Fire started. 

Early in 2016 the Glass Sellers’ Company selected ten artists and ten schools, allocating an artist to each school. Up to 15 students in Year 8 or 9 (age range 13-15) were chosen by each school to work with the artist. The process started by pupils learning about what happened during the Great Fire. They then worked with the artist for at least a day to design a work that interpreted the pupils’ vision of the Great Fire. The artists have then produced the works in their studios. 

The ten works are also being judged, with the winning school, teacher, pupils and artist receiving a glass work made especially by Andreya Bennett. The winner will be announced at a reception in the Church this evening (Thursday 1st September) at 5.00pm. The judges are Katharine Coleman MBE (glass engraver), Neil Hughes (Managing Director of Dartington Crystal) and Maria Chanmugam (a Trustee of the Glass Sellers’ charity). Eight of the 10 schools have associations with City Livery Companies. 

After being exhibited in the City, London Ablaze will move to Hatfield House in Hertfordshire where it will be exhibited for the month of September. On 29th September many of the pupils who have taken part in the Project will participate in a special day held by Hatfield House about Tudor and Stuart history including the Great Fire. 

The Master of the Glass Sellers’ Company, William Knocker, says “We looked for an original way for glass to celebrate this great historical event. As our contribution to the City of London celebrations, the project has delivered all we wanted and more, creating an exciting opportunity for cross-curricular exploration between humanities and art in the participating schools.”

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London's Burning.

Great Fire 350 and St Stephen Walbrook

The Bishop of London, The Rt Revd Richard Chartres, will preach from the fine Wren Church of St Stephen, Walbrook in the City of London, to mark the 350th anniversary of the Great Fire. The service will be broadcast by BBC Radio 4 as Sunday Worship on 4th September 2016 at 8.10am.

Early on Sunday, 2nd September 1666, a fire in a bakery near London Bridge became out of control and a strong wind fanned the flames westward. Not only the wooden houses, but warehouses, public buildings and churches were consumed in the fierce heat - molten lead running in the gutters, while stone was burnt to lime. The Great Fire destroyed over three quarters of the City.

A large number of the City Churches were rebuilt, many designed by Sir Christopher Wren, including one of his most famous, St Stephen Walbrook.

The ever increasing range and diversity of Christian worship in the City Churches today is celebrated in this act of worship, which includes contributions from some of the newer priests in the City, including Rev David Ingall from St Sepulchre's, and Revd Sally Muggeridge from St Stephen's. The service is led by the Priest-in-Charge of St Stephen Walbrook, Revd Jonathan Evens.

All are welcome. If you would like to attend please be seated in St Stephen's by 7.45am. Alternatively listen live on BBC Radio 4 at 8.10am, or on BBC Iplayer for the next 30 days.

As part of commemorations to mark the 350th anniversary of the Great Fire, the Worshipful Company of Glass Sellers of London, a City Livery Company, has chosen 10 London secondary schools each to design a piece of glass artwork on the theme of the Great Fire, in collaboration with a leading contemporary glass artist.

The resulting works from these collaborations will be on display at an exhibition, London Ablaze, at the church of St Stephen Walbrook, next to the Mansion House, at the heart of the City on Thursday 1st and Friday 2nd September (10am-4pm). The Friday is the 350th anniversary of the day the Great Fire started.

Early in 2016 the Glass Sellers’ Company selected ten artists and ten schools, allocating an artist to each school. Up to 15 students in Year 8 or 9 (age range 13-15) were chosen by each school to work with the artist. The process started by pupils learning about what happened during the Great Fire. They then worked with the artist for at least a day to design a work that interpreted the pupils’ vision of the Great Fire. The artists have then produced the works in their studios.

The ten works are also being judged, with the winning school, teacher, pupils and artist receiving a glass work made especially by Andreya Bennett. The winner will be announced at a reception in the Church on the evening of Thursday 1st September.

Resurgence, resilience and the evolution of the City of London are some of the key themes explored in LONDON’S BURNING, a series of spectacular events produced by Artichoke to mark the 350th anniversary of the Great Fireof London and its aftermath, taking place 30th August-4th September 2016. 

LONDON’S BURNING will bring the Square Mile and beyond to life with a series of art installations, performances and talks that will give a unique Artichoke perspective on a significant moment in the country’s history. The programme takes in landmark locations across the city and includes; an underwater performance-artwork at Broadgate; a domino-like sculpture that snakes through the city’s streets tracing the multiple paths of the fire; and a spectacular riverside finale. Audiences are invited to rediscover the City of London and adjacent areas, its past and its future. 

LONDON’S BURNING offers an opportunity to contemplate the lasting impact the Fire had on the architecture, outlook and infrastructure of the City including some of its most iconic buildings and landmarks.

The City of London looks very different now from even, say, 40 years ago. The scale of new building calls to mind another time of rapid rebuilding: after the Great Fire of 1666, when a 'more beautiful City' of brick and stone replaced the medieval wooden houses that were destroyed.

To commemorate the 350th anniversary of the Great Fire in September 2016, those who live or work in the 'square mile' of the City were invited to contribute to a public photography project, art installation and exhibition.

The Great City Photography Project will be on display at All Hallows by the Tower from 1 September-30 October, featuring a new installation by the artist Victoria Burgher, as well as a selection of the many wonderful photographs taken by members of the City of London community. Admission free, open daily during normal church opening hours.

On Friday 2nd September 2016 from 1-2pm the Deanery of the City of London will be commemorating the start of the Great Fire of London in a special service.

Starting at the church of St Mary-at-Hill on Lovat Lane, EC3R 8EE - in whose parish the fire started - a short service will remember those who lost their lives and the destruction of 89 churches. The congregation will walk up onto Eastcheap and down Pudding Lane to the site of Fariner's Bakery - the origin of the fire - for readings, prayers and a hymn. We will then move on to the Monument for another reading, prayers and hymn. Finally we will walk to the church of St Magnus the Martyr - one of the first to be destroyed - where there will be a short service giving thanks for the reconstruction of the City and its Churches.

Do join in with this public act of witness and commemoration, which is being promoted as part of Visit London and the City of London Corporation's 'Great Fire 350' programme, more details of which can be found here.

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The Clash - London's Burning.

Autumn exhibitions at St Stephen Walbrook

Classical, modern and contemporary art and architecture beautifully combine in exhibitions at St Stephen Walbrook. The reordering of the church undertaken in the 1980s sensitively introduced significant examples of modern art (travertine marble altar by Henry Moore and dazzling kneelers by Patrick Heron) within Sir Christopher Wren’s masterpiece, which also contains significant woodwork and carving by William Newman. Newman’s dark wood panelling provides a dramatic backdrop to the regular programme of contemporary art exhibitions that the church hosts. This marvellous blend of old and new provides a richly contemplative space in which to display and view art.

London Ablaze: the Glass Sellers' Great Fire Schools Project exhibition, Thursday 1^st & Friday 2^nd September, 10.00am – 4.00pm

As part of celebrations to mark the 350th anniversary of the Great Fire, the Worshipful Company of Glass Sellers of London, a City Livery Company, has chosen 10 London secondary schools each to design a piece of glass artwork on the theme of the Great Fire, in collaboration with a leading contemporary glass artist.

The resulting works from these collaborations will be on display at an exhibition, London Ablaze, at the church of St Stephen Walbrook, next to the Mansion House, at the heart of the City on Thursday 1st and Friday 2nd September (10am-4pm). The Friday is the 350th anniversary of the day the Great Fire started.

Early in 2016 the Glass Sellers’ Company selected ten artists and ten schools, allocating an artist to each school.  Up to 15 students in Year 8 or 9 (age range 13-15) were chosen by each school to work with the artist. The process started by pupils learning about what happened during the Great Fire. They then worked with the artist for at least a day to design a work that interpreted the pupils’ vision of the Great Fire. The artists have then produced the works in their studios.

The ten works are also being judged, with the winning school, teacher, pupils and artist receiving a glass work made especially by Andreya Bennett. The winner will be announced at a reception in the Church on the evening of Thursday 1st September.

commission4mission, Reflection, Monday 6th – 16th September, Monday – Friday 10.00am – 4.00pm

commission4mission encourages churches to commission contemporary art. This will be the group’s fourth exhibition in the setting of St Stephen Walbrook.

The theme of the show will be ‘Reflection’ and, as in previous years, will feature a wide variety of work from longstanding and new members. ‘Reflection’ is intended as a broad theme open to wider interpretation. Their artists will showcase their individual engagements with this theme and we hope that the range and variety of work, both in terms of content and media, will give pleasure and prompt reflection.

Reflection: consideration; contemplation; idea; impression; meditation; observation; opinion; rumination; view; absorption; cerebration; cogitation; deliberation; imagination; musing; pensiveness; speculation; study; brainwork; pondering.

commission4mission’s Chair, Peter Webb, says: “We are very fortunate to be able to exhibit regularly at St Stephen Walbrook. The exhibition always attracts a great deal of attention in the City. As before, interpretation of the theme is up to individual artists, and no doubt we will have the usual amazing variety and originality in the work submitted.” 

The Shadow of Angels - Kim Poor, 3rd – 29th October, Monday – Friday 10.00am – 4.00pm

Brazilian artist Kim Poor will exhibit a series of paintings in various mediums, including her unique technique of glass fused on steel plate, baptised ‘Diaphanism’ by Salvador Dali. She is based in London and Rio de Janeiro and her work has been exhibited worldwide, most recently in Brazil, Belgium & Greece, with successful solo shows at the Museum of Modern Art in Rio and in São Paulo.

The theme of the exhibition, which is curated by Edward Lucie-Smith, is the universal appeal of angels and their presence and significance in our lives. Their iconography has been a unifying force throughout time and appears in all religions and cultures. Especially in these troubled times angels represent our need for reassurance in a very unstable world. They are our protectors, guides and spiritual messengers; a bridge between us and the Divine.

National Society of Painters, Sculptors & Printmakers, Monday 21st November – Friday 2nd December, Monday – Friday 10.00am – 4.00pm

The second group show by National Society artists to be held at St Stephen Walbrook. The National Society was formed in 1930 to meet a growing desire among artists of every creed and outlook for an annual exhibition in London, which would embrace all aspects of art under one roof, without prejudice or favour to anyone. Its members have included: Mark Gertler, Jack B Yeats, L S Lowry, David Bomberg, W Russell Flint, Henry Moore, Bernard Meninsky, William Nicholson, Graham Sutherland, C R W Nevinson, Frank Dobson and Bernard Adams among others.

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Corinne Bailey-Rae - Stop Where You Are.

Evensong & Garden Party for the Feast of the Transfiguration

We're delighted to invite you to our annual Evensong and Garden Party at St Stephen Walbrook which this year takes place on

MONDAY 8th AUGUST at 6.00pm.

The Garden Party takes place on the Feast of the Transfiguration, beginning with Choral Evensong at 6.00pm. The service will last about 50 minutes and be led by Revd. Jonathan Evens. The music, sung by the St Stephen Walbrook Choir, is Howells in G, the anthem will be Edgar Bainton's 'And I Saw a New Heaven' and the organist will be Joe Sentance.

This will be followed by the Garden Party at which drinks and snacks will be served and you are encouraged to bring guests with you. There is no charge for the event but, for purposes of catering, we do need to know if you are coming so please let us know in one of the following ways:

By email: Send an email to office@ststephenwalbrook.net
By telephone: 020 7626 9000
By post: The Administrator, St Stephen's Church, 39 Walbrook, London EC4N 8BN.

And further ahead:

Thursday 1st and Friday, 2nd September 10.00am - 4.00pm AN EXHIBITION OF GLASS

This free exhibition of glass artwork is organised in conjunction with the Worshipful Company of Glass Sellers and is a project for the 350th Anniversary of the Great Fire of London.

We look forward to seeing you soon.

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Bruce Springsteen - Fire.gre

The Great City Photography Project

To commemorate the 350th anniversary of the Great Fire of London, there is an open invitation to take part in an exciting public photography project for everyone who works or lives in the City of London.

The City of London looks very different now from even, say, 40 years ago. The scale of new building calls to mind another time of rapid rebuilding: after the Great Fire of 1666, when a 'more beautiful City' of brick and stone replaced the medieval wooden houses that were destroyed. To commemorate the 350th anniversary of the Great Fire in September 2016, those who live or work in the 'square mile' of the City are invited to contribute to a public photography project, art installation and exhibition.

The project wants you to take digital photos - with your mobile or a camera - of the 'new' City of London as it forms part of your daily life. You could take a picture from your office or shop window, or a glimpse of one of the new buildings that now tower over the City, or a detail of a side street, or an interior shot of your workplace. The project hopes you'll send pictures taken from building sites, rooftops or the river, pictures at street level or below ground - anywhere in the City, in fact, that you find visually interesting as part of the built environment. They're looking for quirky details, interesting angles and juxtapositions of older and new buildings as well as stunning views and broad cityscapes, and for contributors from all walks of life. This is a project not aimed at professional photographers, but at the whole City of London community.

​Send your pictures by uploading them to their Facebook, Twitter or Instagram accounts or email them (see below for contact details) and, if you like, add your name and a caption, or write a few words about why you took the picture. The photographs will be printed and displayed in an exhibition at All Hallows by the Tower Church, Byward Street, London EC3R 5BJ from 1st September-30th October 2016, and will also be used in an art installation in the church by artist Victoria Burgher, so come and see your work on show!

Email: rebuildingthecity@ahbtt.org.uk

http://www.facebook.com/greatcityphotoproject

@rebuildingcity

tag the project @rebuildingthecity and add #greatcityphotoproject

This project is kindly supported by Reignwood and Ardmore Construction.

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Ed Sheeran - I See Fire.