This circular walk of 4 km takes you around the four churches dedicated to St Botolph. As you may know, St Botolph is the patron saint of trade and travel so his churches were next to city gates. That meant travellers could say a prayer and ask for a blessing before setting off on a journey.
One of the churches – St Botolph Billingsgate is lost. It was destroyed in the Great Fire of London (which started at nearby Monument) and was never rebuilt. Billings “gate” was the port of London and you can see the old fish market building which still stands and was in use up until 1982 when the market moved to Canary Wharf.
The other three churches dedicated to St Bololph are very much part of the fabric of the city today. The churchyard of St. Botolph Aldersgate is now called Postman’s Park and contain a memorial to citizens of London who have performed heroic deeds.
Part of the walk is along the line of the old Roman walls which linked the city gates of Aldersgate, Bishopsgate and Aldgate where the churches are situated. The road you walk on is actually called London Wall, created when those fortifications were pulled down in the 18th Century. The walk also takes you past the ruins of St Dunstan in the East which is now a public garden
