London No. 74 / Aldermanbury

Allen (1839?) reports: "The old church [dating back at least to the end of the 12th century] being destroyed by the fire of London in 1666, the present structure was finished ten years later […] by sir Christopher Wren, in 1677 […] The font, situated in the south east angle of the building, is composed of stone, painted to imitate marble. On the cover is inscribed 'THE GIFT OF RICHARD CHANDLER, ESQVIRE, 1675'". The font itself is likely to have been of around the same date. Allen's work (ibid.) ended too early to register the later events underwent by this church, which are recorded in Blatch (1995): the 'new' church of St. Mary Aldermanbury "was selected, approved by the British Council for Care of Churches" to be transferred to the United States, and "dismantling began in 1965". Baltch (ibid.) further informs that the stones arrived in Foulton, Missouri, and the ecclesiatical authorities involved were able to "re-hallow St Mary's in Fulton on the 7th of May 1969" [NB: it is not clear whether the painted-stone font was transferred as well -- we have no information of the earlier font of the original church either]