The Commission for Building Fifty New Churches (in London and the surroundings) was an organisation set up by Act of Parliament in England in 1711, with the purpose of building fifty new churches for the rapidly growing conurbation of London. It did not achieve its target, but did build a number of churches, which would become known as the Queen Anne Churches.

The specific enactment was the New Churches in London and Westminster Act 1710 (9 Anne c. 17).

[edit] Churches built

Most of the churches were designed by Nicholas Hawksmoor, with John James, Thomas Archer and James Gibbs also participating.

• Christ Church Spitalfields Hawksmoor 1714-29
• St Alfege's Church, Greenwich Hawksmoor 1712-18
• St Anne Limehouse Hawksmoor 1714-30
• St. George's Church, Bloomsbury Hawksmoor 1716-31
• St George in the East Hawksmoor 1714-29
• St George's, Hanover Square James 1720-25
• St John Horsleydown Hawksmoor and James 1727-33
• St. John's, Smith Square Archer 1713-28
• St Luke Old Street Hawksmoor and James 1727-33
• St Mary le Strand Gibbs 1714-23
• St Paul Deptford Archer 1713-30

St Mary Woolnoth was rebuilt from 1716-24.

The Commission funded in part five other churches – St George Gravesend, St George the Martyr Southwark, St Giles in the Fields, St Mary Magdalen Woolwich and St Michael, Cornhill. It bought and altered St George the Martyr Holborn and bought St John Clerkenwell.

[edit] References

• British History Online
• Lambeth Palace Library
• UAMS Construction Management