Church of St. Mary the Virgin, Aldermanbury - Churchill Memorial - Fulton, Missouri
Posted by: 
BruceS
N 38° 50.993 W 091° 57.255
15S E 590745 N 4300637
Historic church from near London's city center now located in central Missouri.
Waymark Code: WM6G7J
Location: Missouri, United States
Date Posted: 05/30/2009
Views: 29
The Church of St. Mary the Virgin, Aldermanbury, dates to the 12th century when it was first built near London's city center at Aldermanbury Street and Love Lane. The original church was destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666. The church was rebuilt in in 1677 in an English Baroque style by the 17th century architect, Sir Christopher Wren. In 1941, it was hit by a German incendiary bomb and gutted. All that remained is the exterior walls, tower and twelve of the interior columns. 
In 1962 the ruins were given to the Board of Trustees of Westminster College. Westminster College wanted the ruins to construct a Memorial to Winston Churchill. Westminster College was the location where Churchill gave his "Sinews of Peace" speech in 1946. The speech is commonly known as Churchill's "Iron Curtain" speech. Winston Churchill was proclaimed an honorary citizen of the United States in 1963. In its history, the United States has honored only one other person ,the Marquis de Lafayette, with honorary citizenship.
The reconstruction began in 1964. The ruins were painstakingly dismantled and labeled. The stones and other recovered remains were shipped from London to Fulton, Missouri. Only minor amounts of exterior stones had to be replaced and those were quarried from the same Portland quarry as the originals. The church was reconstructed in accordance to Wren's original plans. The reconstruction took nearly five years with the dedication of the memorial May 7, 1969.
The Churchill Memorial and Library are located in the lower level of the church and the main portion of the church is a sanctuary often used for weddings.
For more information on Church of St. Mary the Virgin, Aldermanbury see the Churchill Memorial website and the National Register of Historic Place Nomination Form.
The original location of the Church in London is a small park with the foundation of the church outlining a sunken portion of the park.