St Botolph Bishopsgate

St. Botolph-without-Bishopsgate
Exterior photo of St. Botolph-without-Bishopsgate
Country	United Kingdom
Denomination	Church of England and Antiochian Orthodox Church
Previous denomination	Roman Catholicism
Architecture
Heritage designation	Grade II*
Administration
Diocese	London
Clergy
Rector	Alan McCormack

St Botolph-without-Bishopsgate is a Church of England church in the City of London, and also, by virtue of lying outside the City's (now demolished) eastern walls, part of London's East End.

Adjoining the buildings is a substantial churchyard – running along the back of Wormwood Street, the former course of London Wall – and a former school. The church is linked with the Worshipful Company of Coopers and the Worshipful Company of Bowyers.

The church lies on the west side of the road named Bishopsgate, near Liverpool Street station. The church and street both take their name from the "Bishop's Gate" in London's defensive wall which stood approximately 50 metres to the south.

Stow, writing in 1598 describes the church of his time as standing "in a fair churchyard, adjoining to the town ditch, upon the very bank thereof". The City Ditch was a defensive feature, that lay immediately outside the walls and was intended to make attack on the walls by mining or by escalade more difficult.

The church was one of four in medieval London dedicated to Saint Botolph or Botwulf, a 7th-century East Anglian saint, each of which stood by one of the gates to the City. The other three were near neighbour St Botolph's Aldgate, St Botolph's, Aldersgate in the west and St Botolph's, Billingsgate by the riverside (this church was destroyed by the Great Fire and not rebuilt).

Before the legend of Saint Christopher became popular, Botolph was venerated as the patron saint of travellers, which is thought to be why churches at the City gates have this dedication.