St Bride's Church, Fleet Street

St Brides Church is tucked in behind the busy thoroughfare that is Fleet Street in central London. Historically Fleet Street was the home of the newspaper industry up until the 1980s, so it makes sense that St Brides became known as the Journalists’ Church and the ‘spiritual home of journalists throughout the world’.

Over the years it hosted a great many services commemorating and celebrating the lives of journalists, reporters, broadcasters, cameramen, editors and proprietors.

And it was here, just over 3 years ago that the media mogul Rupert Murdoch married Jerry Hall.

The steeple is said to be the inspiration for the traditional tiered wedding cakes that we see today, thanks to an apprentice baker who worked nearby in the late 1800’s. He fell in love with the daughter of his boss and wanted to impress her, so plumped for an elaborate cake rather than the more usual bride pie, using the steeple design from the Church as a template.

The name of the church does not in fact have anything to do with weddings or brides, that is just a fortunate coincidence. It is named after the founder of the original 7th century church, named variously as St Brigid, St Bride and St Bridie.

It is the 7th church built on this site and designed by Christopher Wren who of course was the architect responsible for the magnificent St Paul’s Cathedral which is just a stone’s throw away from St Brides.