The first mention of a church on the present site is in documents of 1137 which refer to 'St Agnes near Alderychgate' and the 'priest of St Anne's' which was situated near Aldredesgate'. There was confusion over the name since the church was described variously in
Norman records as
St Anne-in-the-Willows and as St Agnes. Its unusual double dedication, unique in the City, seems to have been acquired some time in the 15th century. It is also uncertain which
Saint Agnes is referred to; it is believed to be the 4th-century
virgin martyr Agnes of Rome. The church was gutted by a fire in 1548 but was rebuilt soon after. Further work was done in 1624. However, the building's 14th-century tower was its only section to survive the
Great Fire of London in 1666 (and then only partially). St Anne and St Agnes was rebuilt by Sir
Christopher Wren in 1680, with possible contributions from
Robert Hooke. The small brick church is of an unusual design in London, being based on that of a
Greek cross; it utilises a vaulted square within a square, a formula based on the
Nieuwe Kerk in
Haarlem in the
Netherlands. Wren also used a similar design at
St Martin Ludgate and
St Mary-at-Hill. The parish was united with the parish of
St John Zachary by section 55 of the
Rebuilding of London Act 1670 (
22 Cha. 2. c. 11), as St John's was not rebuilt after the Great Fire. The church was extensively
restored in the 18th and 19th centuries, but was largely destroyed by
Second World War bombing by
German bombers during the
London Blitz during the night of 29–30 December 1940. It was rededicated in 1966, largely through donations by the worldwide
Lutheran church, for use by the exile
Estonian and
Latvian communities in London. The reconstructed interior is a mixture of replicas of the prewar fittings and original or copied fittings from other London churches, some of which had also been destroyed in the war but were not reconstructed. The congregation of St Anne's Lutheran Church left the church in June 2013, and began to share
St Mary-at-Hill with its existing Anglican congregation. The building, now called the VOCES8 Centre, has become the home of the VOCES8 Foundation, an educational charity incorporating the vocal ensemble
Voces8. Famous past parishioners have included the poet
John Milton and
John Bunyan, author of ''
Pilgrim's Progress''.
John Wesley, founder of
Methodism, preached twice at the church in 1738. The church was designated a Grade I
listed building on 4 January 1950. ==See also==