All Hallows-by-the-Tower, London, Visitor Guide & Things to Do Nearby

All Hallows-by-the-Tower is a parish church beside the Tower of London in the City of London, founded in 675 and generally described as the oldest church in the City. It has been rebuilt and repaired many times, yet it still holds Roman and Saxon traces and one of the best-known eyewitness stories of the Great Fire of 1666.

The story behind it

The first church on this spot was founded in the 7th century, and it has been a place of worship ever since. Over the centuries it grew into a large church right beside the Tower, and it has survived fire, war and rebuilding. It is still an active church today.

Its most famous moment came in September 1666. The Great Fire of London swept through the City, and the church came through it, helped by the efforts of people nearby to hold the flames back. The diarist Samuel Pepys, who lived close by, climbed the church tower to look out over the burning streets. He wrote that he saw "the saddest sight of desolation", with houses, churches and streets alight as far as he could see. Few written accounts of the disaster are so direct.

What to look for

• The brick tower, which is the one Pepys climbed, stands out against the stone and glass of the modern City around it.
• Inside, look for the Saxon arch, which includes reused Roman tiles and is one of the oldest surviving parts of the building.
• The carved wooden font cover is the work of Grinling Gibbons, and the detail in the fruit and foliage rewards a closer look.
• Ask about the undercroft below the church, where remains from the Roman and early medieval city are on display.

Tips for your visit

• Allow 30 to 45 minutes if you want to go inside and see the arch and the undercroft, and check current opening hours and access before you go.
• The church is a working place of worship, so keep voices low and be respectful if a service is under way.
• The Tower of London is next door, and Trinity Square Gardens and Tower Hill are a short walk away, so it pairs well with a wider walk through the area.
• Morning is usually quieter, and the area is easiest to enjoy outside the weekday rush of City workers.

See it on a quest

Great Fire of London: The Path of Destruction brings you here on foot as one stop on a longer route through the streets the fire affected. The app tells you about each place as you arrive, and you solve a puzzle in what is in front of you, which makes the church much more than a quick photo stop. One ticket covers the whole group, and you can start whenever suits you, with no guide and no set departure time.