one of the oldest Christian churches in London. Originally called All Hallows Berkyngechirche, it was founded in 675 by the Abbey of Barking, four hundred years before the building of the Tower of London. The present building is a fascinating mixture of architectural styles - starting with the Saxon, through Norman, Crusader, Mediaeval, seventeenth, nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Unlike many churches in the City of London, All Hallows by the Tower remained unscathed by the Great Fire of London in 1666. It was not, however so lucky in 1940 with the Blitz of World War II. A bomb damaged the east wall, then three weeks later fire bombs burnt down much of the church, leaving the tower, the north and south walls and part of the east end. The church was rebuilt, complete with new spire, and dedicated by the Bishop of London in July 1953