Old and New

It was sunny again today but it was much colder!! This picture is of a twelfth century church St Helen Bishopsgate and The Gherkin off St Mary Axe Street.

It is the largest surviving church in the City and contains more monuments than any other church in London except Westminster Abbey, hence it is sometimes referred to as the 'Westminster Abbey of the City'.

The church of St. Helen dates from the 12th century, and a priory of Benedictine nuns was founded there in 1210.

St. Helen's was one of only a few City churches to survive both the Great Fire of London of 1666 and the Blitz during World War II. In 1992 and 1993, however, the church was badly damaged by two IRA bombs that were set off nearby.