No.17 St Magnus the Martyr

After a long break, back to the City on a lovely afternoon to draw St Magnus. It's not as easy to get to Wren's work from Norfolk as it was from Tottenham Court Road, but managed to keep some time free on a weekend trip to London, cycled to London Bridge and drew in the evening sunshine.
St Magnus the Martyr was one of Wren's bigger projects, but today's building is much changed from the building he signed off. The church was bang at the end of the old London Bridge, and St Magnus Corner was an important Medieval junction used for church business, public meetings, proclamations and punishments.
Only 300 yards away from St Magnus was Thomas Farriner's bakery in Pudding Lane and the church was one of the first buildings burnt down in the Great Fire. Wren's Monument to the Fire is just up Fish Street Hill from the church. Work on rebuilding St Magnus started in 1668, Wren had the nave up by 1676 and the building finished by 1681. Thomas Farriner was buried under the middle aisle of the church he was (possibly) responsible for burning down.

Caneletto, London Bridge with St Magnus, 1745-55

A scheme to widen London Bridge in 1761 entailed knocking a path through St Magnus' tower, which is why it has the rather un-Wren-like arches through the base. Wren's design was further compromised in the 1780s when his large north wall windows were reduced to the current circular pattern to cut out noise from Billingsgate Fish Market next door. The church just about survived two further fires in 1760 and 1827, but the rebuilding of London Bridge had a bigger effect, as the church was no longer on one of the busiest corners in London. Some recently discovered stones from the old bridge now live in the churchyard. St Magnus kept an eye on his church through the War, the only damage was having its windows blown out by the bomb that landed on London Bridge.

I took the opportunity of using a high viewpoint and stood on the bridge over Lower Thames Street which gave me lots of perspective issues to solve, but showed the church hemmed in by the 20thC. edifices around. Lots of tourists stopped to look and chat, including one old East End boy who made me jump out of my skin by approaching unnoticed from behind and then talking right in my ear. I nearly spilt my ink.

Hard work, felt out of practice, drawing is splashed with blots and smudges, I need to get out and do more, particularly to practice editing. Big springy nib was great for strong lines but couldn't give me a fine line and the drawing suffers as a result - I need to use a much finer line to draw the distant buildings.

Map here
History taken from here