All that is left of the church of All Hallows Staining is the tower at the corner of Dunster Court and Mark Lane. The tower was built in 1320AD and was part of the second church on this site. It was originally founded by the Saxons before the Norman conquest. The diagram to the right shows the likely development.
The first mention in the written record is in the 12th Century. The name “Staining” means “of stone”. At a time when most churches were wooden, this was a distinguishing feature. It also features in the name of another lost church of the period – St Mary Staining in Oat Lane, north east of St Pauls. An illustration from the Copperplate Map of 1555 shows what the church looked like.
Even though it survived the Great Fire of 1666, the church of All Hallows Staining collapsed in 1671. A possible cause was that too many burials against the church walls had undermined the foundations. It was rebuilt in 1674. An etching by West & Toms shows what this new church looked like (see picture).
Then, in 1870, under the Union of Benefices Act the parish was combined with the nearby church of St Olave Hart Street. As a result All Hallows Staining was demolished leaving only the tower you see today.
But that is not quite the end of the story. When St Olave Hart Street was badly damaged in the Blitz, a temporary prefab church on the site of All Hallows Staying was built while St Olave’s was being restored. This was used between 1948 and 1954. Then as. The commemorative stone on then wall indicated a permanent parish hall was built on the site by the Clothworkers Company in 1957.
The Parish Hall of St Olave Hart Street
This hall which stands in part on the site of
the former Church of All Hallows Staining was built in
1957 by the Clothworkers Company for the benefit of
the united Parish of St Olave Hart Street with All Hallows
Staining and St Catherine Coleman
