Why is a 700-year-old church currently suspended 45 feet above the ground in the City of London?

A 700-year-old building suspended on stilts is not your typical City of London sight. However, that’s what is currently on show in the Square Mile this week, as a very, very old church near Fenchurch Street station sits suspended 45 feet (14 metres) above the ground. 

The building in question is the tower of All Hallows Staining Church, and it’s in its current predicament thanks to a massive development at 50 Fenchurch Street. The project has just ‘bottomed out’, meaning a milestone has been reached in excavating the site and undertaking foundation works. A whopping 125,000 tonnes of earth and ground material was removed from the site. 

50 Fenchurch Street’s bottoming-out ceremony was on Tuesday (September 23), and it’s left the 14th-century tower standing starkly solitary. While visitors may not be able to get up close and personal with the curious sight, the tower’s tubular steel stilts are visible to passersby.

So, why exactly has all this happened? Well, the stone tower is being preserved within the 50 Fenchurch Street development, which is designed by Eric Parry Architects and will be a 36-storey, 650,000-square foot office tower. The church will eventually be central to a new public green space, with its crypt reassembled. 

In the meantime, construction is set to begin on the building’s basement. The project is set for completion in 2028. 

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