A year-long celebration of one of the greatest architects

Next year marks a very special anniversary for the city of London.

The year 2023 marks 300 years since the death of Sir Christopher Wren (1632-1723) – mathematician, astronomer, physicist, anatomist and one of the United Kingdom’s greatest architects, writes Yann Tear.

Everywhere you look in central London you will find evidence of his work – and St Paul’s Cathedral is not a bad legacy to have bequeathed.

To mark the occasion, a year-long programme of events takes place in central London, supported by a £241,000 grant from the National Lottery Fund.

Wren was given responsibility for rebuilding 51 churches in the City of London after the Great Fire in 1666, including what is regarded as his St Paul’s masterpiece, where today he is buried under a gravestone with the Latin inscription which states: “If you seek his memorial, look about you.”

From centres of learning in Greenwich, Oxford and Cambridge, churches and palaces fit for a king, Wren’s influence spans the centuries.

His tercentenary will be marked in the Square Mile churches by a year-long education and conservation programme for children and adult throughout 2023, Wren’s remaining churches in The City will host a variety of school and community initiatives, including school pupils building a replica of the dome of St Paul’s, and a ‘Wrenathon’ of choirs across The City of London.

The Wren300 Square Mile Churches programme will offer a range of opportunities to explore the work of Sir Christopher Wren through conservation, heritage and musical activities, and up to 5,000 pupils are expected to take part in visits to his churches – with most invites going to schools in underprivileged areas.

The events will include workshops and talks and the building of a St Paul’s replica by 100 secondary school pupils using foam blocks and bamboo.
There are also plans to recruit volunteers from diverse communities in researching and understanding the lives of people engaged with Wren’s churches over the centuries, who might previously have been overlooked.

Born in the Wiltshire village of Knoyle, and educated at Oxford, he is nevertheless associated mostly with the capital after his prolific work later in the century. He died, aged 90, at St James’ on February 25, 1723 after catching a chill.

Alongside a grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Wren300 has also received grants from the Royal Academy of Engineering, The Linbury Trust and the London Fire Brigade Museum.

The Bishop of London, the Rt Rev and Rt Hon Dame Sarah Mullally, said: “We are very grateful for the funding the Wren300 project has received.
“This will go a long way to helping those from all backgrounds to experience Wren’s churches in The City, encouraging new audiences to feel inspired by the architecture, heritage, arts and music of his time.”

Annie Hampson, chairwoman of the Wren300-Square Mile Churches, said: “Wren300 is a celebration of an extraordinary and prolific career that occurred at a changing point in British history and transformed our architecture.

“The Great Fire of London decimated the City, and Wren brought his pragmatism and skill to the rebuilding of the City churches, providing him with the expertise and knowledge to achieve his greatest masterpiece in the rebuilding of St Paul’s.

Wren300 Square Mile Churches  Honorary Patron, Lord Norman Foster of Thames Bank, added: “Sir Christopher Wren was one of our greatest ever citizens.

“I admire him not only as a great architect but also as a surveyor and manager who remarkably came up with a plan for rebuilding the City only days after the Great Fire.

“What is even more extraordinary is that he succeeded in carrying it out, supervising the rebuilding of 51 churches, including St Paul’s Cathedral, where he used a completely new architectural language not previously seen in England. His influence continues to this day.”

 

 

Pictured: Sir Christopher Wren and St Bride’s Cathedral in Fleet Street, the so-called ‘journalists’ church’ Pictures: Godfrey Kneller/Angelo Hornak