England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
St Dunstan in the West

The Parish

The parish of St Dunstan in the West, as its name suggests, was the most westerly within the ancient walls of the city of London situated no more than 300 metres north of the River Thames where that river straightens to an easterly course under Blackfriars Bridge. As the most westerly it forms part of the boundary with wider Middlesex and as it is separated from the Thames only by the extra-parochial area of Temple it also forms part of the border with neighbouring Surrey. The heart of the parish is Fleet Street, commemorating the lost River Fleet now subsurface, on which the church sits, the parish resembles an inverted "T", the head following Fleet Street whilst a tail heads northwards to St Andrew Holborn. Like much of the City of London the area today is largely commercial, Fleet Street formerly being the heart of the newspaper industry before its move to outer areas. Today there are few residents in the area and most properties are commercial with few night-time residents. This was not always so and at the time of this transcript St Dunstan in the West was highly populated holding a population of close to 3,500 parishioners. At one time the River Fleet drained the parish into the nearby Thames but all drainage is nowadays sub-surface. St Dunstan's church stands at 15 metres above the sea, one has to go northwest into Regent's Park in order to reach land above 20 metres. Like most of the city parishes St Dunstan in the West occupied a tiny acreage with those 3,500 parishioners crammed in tightly.

The Church

St Dunstan's church stands on the northern side of Fleet Street a few yards east of Chancery Lane. Today's church is not that in which the majority of these marriages took place, a medieval church first mentioned in c1170 once sat southward of today's church and was demolished and rebuilt further north as part of a road widening scheme. Today's St Dunstan was completed in 1833 and occupies a tight space between former newspaper offices. As a consequence of the restricted site an unusual design was used utilising an idea from non-conformist chapels, the main body of the church is an octagon yet is hidden behind the characteristic church tower which fronts the road. The tower of stone from Ketton in Rutland makes for a prominent landmark whilst the octagonal worship space behind has an intimacy and equality made possible by its octagonal nature with pews surrounding the walls yet with a conventional altar keeping separation from the congregation. Like most urban churches St Dunstan is best visited on foot, its position will create a challenge for the photographer given the lack of any views except from Fleet Street.