St. Sepulchre-without-Newgate

St Sepulchre-without-Newgate
Church of the Holy Sepulchre
Photo of St. Sepulchre-without-Newgate
Location	Holborn Viaduct London EC1A 2DQ
Country	United Kingdom
Denomination	Church of England
Previous denomination	Roman Catholic
Churchmanship	Low Church Evangelical
History
Founded	12th century
Dedication	Edmund the Martyr
Architecture
Status	Parish church
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade I listed building
Style	Gothic (tower)
Years built	15th century (rebuilt)
Completed	1670 (reopened)
Specifications
Number of towers	1
Bells	12
Administration
Diocese	London
Province	Canterbury
Clergy
Priest in charge	David Ingall

St Sepulchre-without-Newgate, also known as the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (Holborn), is an Anglican church in the City of London. It is located on Holborn Viaduct, almost opposite the Old Bailey. In medieval times it stood just outside ("without") the now-demolished old city wall, near the Newgate. It has been a living of St John's College, Oxford, since 1622 and is part of the area designated the "Newgate Street Conservation Area" (No.6) by the City of London Corporation.

The original Saxon church on the site was dedicated to St Edmund the King and Martyr. In 1137 it was given to the Priory of St Bartholomew. During the Crusades in the 12th century the church was renamed St Edmund and the Holy Sepulchre, in reference to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, by soldiers who passed by the church on the way to the Holy Lands. The name eventually became contracted to St Sepulchre.

The church is today the largest parish church in the City. It was completely rebuilt in the 15th century but was gutted by the Great Fire of London in 1666, which left only the outer walls, the tower and the porch standing -. Modified in the 18th century, the church underwent extensive restoration in 1878. It narrowly avoided destruction in the Second World War, although the 18th-century watch-house in its churchyard (erected to deter grave-robbers) was completely destroyed and had to be rebuilt.

The interior of the church is a wide, roomy space with a coffered ceiling installed in 1834. The Vicars' old residence has recently been renovated into a modern living quarter.