St Dunstan : A spectacle of the past




London is a beautiful city with so much to offer. It is a city that welcomes you and makes you one of its own. As a student, it is one of the best cities to live in. But being a student in a city like London, with its fast-paced lifestyle can also be overwhelming and intimidating. One needs to escape every now and then to some peace and quiet. Nestled in the heart of London, St Dunstan-in-the-east is the perfect spot to forget about your deadlines for some time. 

A friend posing at the entrance. Clicked by Smega Sony
 

There is a St Dunstan-in-the-west as well, which I hope to go to soon enough. St. Dunstan-in-the-east is one of the many monuments dedicated to St Dunstan. 

It is situated in between London Bridge and the Tower of London and despite its location, it is not frequented by a lot of visitors. In fact, it is one of the hidden gems of London that does not make it to most tourist lists or even that of locals. St Dunstan used to be a church, of which remains only the ruins that have been converted into a beautiful garden. 

 

A view of one of the remaining turrets
Dunstan (c. 909 – 19 May 988) was an English bishop. He was successively Abbot of Glastonbury Abbey, Bishop of Worcester, Bishop of London, and Archbishop of Canterbury, later canonized as a saint. His work restored monastic life in England and reformed the English Church. (Taken from Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunstan)

 

The church ruins have had their days of glory and days of despair and repair. It was built in the early years of the 12th century and was named after St Dunstan, a monk who lived in about the 10th century. The first time the church building got severely damaged was the great London fire of 1666. The church never went back to looking how it originally was, ever again. For some decades after the fire, reparation at the church continued, but it wasn’t fully repaired. It was built up in patches. The patchwork was not a strong form of reparation did not do much for the church.

 

In the early 19th century, the church was demolished, because its roof and foundation had become too weak to carry the weight of the building. It was subsequently rebuilt and was reopened for worship in 1821. However, it wasn’t long before the church building faced another round of destruction. In World War II, the church along with many of the buildings and houses in London were bombed. The church was left severely damaged. Only this time, the authorities decided not to rebuild the church and let it remain in form of ruins. The ruins of the building were also meant to serve as a reminder to all that was lost during the Blitz, and how the city of London handled the catastrophe. In 1967, the decision was taken to convert St Dunstan into a public garden that was eventually opened to the public in 1971. 

 

              


The gardens of St Dunstan-in-the-east are wonderfully serene and tranquil. One can hear the birds chirping and the faint noise of traffic in the background. One can be extremely close to nature yet see the Shard in the distance and know that the modern glass and concrete city of London are right outside the periphery of the complex. A person can completely immerse themselves in nature and feel as if they have traveled back in time. However, the modern sky-rise buildings will always bring you back to reality. 


The fountain

As soon as we entered the garden area of the ruins, we were greeted by a fountain. It was not one of those fountains that hid behind the face of grandeur. But it was the kind of fountain, that played a subtle nature’s melody. A light breeze was flowing the day we went, and the sun decided to be generous for some time (which is a big thing considering sunshine is rare to get in the long winter months). St Dunstan was one of the rare places where I have felt at peace. It was almost meditative in its environment.   


                                                                 

 

It is very easy to reach St Dunstan-in-the-east as well. The nearest tube stations are either Monument station on the Circle line or Bank station on the Northern line. While you are here, you can also make a quick trip to the sky garden which is roughly a 5-minute walk from there, and catch the beautiful London skyline. I would like to add that if you do plan to go to the sky garden, plan it in a way you can watch the London skyline during the golden hour. So next time you plan a trip to Tower Bridge or the London Bridge, do plan a stop at these medieval-era church ruins. Don’t forget to carry your water bottle and click as many pictures as you can. 

 

Credit - Smega Sony/ Tanvi Chitranshi

Originally Published - https://study.soas.ac.uk/hidden-gem-london-st-dunstan/


Disclaimer - All pictures are clicked by me unless otherwise stated. 

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