LOST CHURCHES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 31 December 1940, Page 5

LOST CHURCHES

DESTRUCTION OF WREN’S MASTERPIECES HEROIC WORK BY FIRE FIGHTERS. REGULAR AND AUXILIARY. SERVICES. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 9.8 a.m.) RUGBY, December 30. Saint Bride’s Church, in a courtyard off Fleet Street, was set alight early in last night’s raid on London. Only blackened walls and the magnificent tapering tower and spire,/generally regarded as one of Sir Christopher Wren’s masterpieces, now remain. This slender spire, originally 234 feet high, but later lowered by eight feet, is one of the most impressive features of London’s skyline. Voluntary helpers worked.splendidly to subdue the flames and salvage the furnishings, but almost as soon as they left the building the roof crashed in. Another Wren church which was completely gutted last night was Saint Vedast Foster. It is one of the less important of fifty churches which Wren rebuilt after the Great Fire. Irreparable loss has been suffered at another Wren church. Saint Lawrence Jury, owing to the destruction of some of the most beautiful and valuable woodcarving of the celebrated Grinling Gibbons, which formed part of its decoration.

Another Wren church, which represented one of his most striking experiments in the adaption of a Gothic de-

sign to the classical impulse, that of Saint Mary Aldemary, has been reduced to a shell by last night’s raid, and yet another church, Saint Andrew by the Wardrobe, shared a similar fate. Three hospitals, one museum, several schools, commercial premises, shops and offices were more or less seriously damaged in fires last night. The highest tributes are paid today to the skill and daring displayed by regular and auxiliary firemen in successfully dealing with fires which put their services to the severest test.

During the week ended at midnight on Saturday, the Germans, in raids on London, lost seven planes—two in the early hours of Sunday, December 22; three on Monday night, one during Tuesday and one on Christmas Day. During the same period no British fighters were lost. Five British bombers were lost in the course of widespread and heavy attacks over enemy and enemy-occupied territory, one on the night of Monday, December 23, one on the following night, one on the night of December 26 and two on the night of December 27. DYNAMITE USED TO PREVENT SPREAD OF FIRES. (Received This Day, 9.15 a.m.) LONDON, December 30. Some buildings were dynamited to prevent fires spreading. Saint Bride’s Church, in Fleet Street, is practically gutted and many buildings in Cheapside were wrecked. Incendiary bombs burnt through the lead roofing of Saint Paul’s. The banquet hall of the Guildhall was set alight.