A 700-year-old church tower has been suspended 45 feet above ground as part of a major City of London building project.
The Grade I listed tower of All Hallows Staining Church was balanced on stilts above a 60,000 square foot excavation site at 50 Fenchurch Street in what developers called a ‘never seen before feat of engineering’.
A ‘bottoming out’ ceremony on Tuesday came after the removal of more than 125,000 tonnes of earth underneath the tower to make way for a 650,000 square foot office tower.
Construction of the 50 Fenchurch Street development’s basement levels will reunite the church tower with ground level to form part of a new green public space.
The 36-storey tower, which is replacing a seven-storey office block that has been occupied by the Clothworkers Livery Company for almost 500 years, aims to realise a goal for ‘a greener, more environmentally sustainable Square Mile’.
It will contain state-of-the-art technology and amenities, with its tenth floor providing a 360-degree ‘public realm experience’.
The plans also include an underground livery hall, ground-floor shops, 62,000 square metres of office space and a public garden roof.
The project is being undertaken by Axa IM Alts, the investment arm of the French insurance company.
The 700-year-old tower of All Hallows Staining church in central London has been suspended 45 feet above ground as part of a major re-development
The church was balanced on stilts above a 60,000 square foot excavation site at 50 Fenchurch Street
All that remains of All Hallows Staining is the tower that is being protected. It dates back to the early 14th century.
The church survived the Great Fire of London in 1666 but then much of the structure collapsed a few years after, leaving only the tower and another smaller part.
The rest of the church was then rebuilt but then demolished again in the late 19th century, when All Hallows’s parish was combined with the adjacent St Olave Hart Street.
As part of the current redevelopment, other buildings on the site – including the historic Clothworkers’ Hall and the church hall of St Olave Hart Street – have already been demolished.
The project was opposed by Historic Royal Palaces, which manages the Tower of London.
They argued the project would block protected views of the Tower.
The sovereign wealth fund of Kuwait also opposed the project.
An illustration showing how the church looked in around 1750
A CGI image envisaging how the redeveloped site will look when completed
A CGI image showing the church tower surrounded by the gleaming skycraper
More than 125,000 tonnes of earth was removed from underneath the tower to make way for a 650,000 square foot office
Construction of the 50 Fenchurch Street development’s basement levels will reunite the church tower with ground level to form part of a new green public space
All Hallows Staining dates back to the 14th century, although the tower is all that remains
The development is due to be completed in 2028. Above: The view from underneath the church
An aerial view of the construction site at 50 Fenchurch Street
The ‘bottoming out’ ceremony is undertaken at the lowest structural point
Looking up from the excavation towards the top of the church
The historic church tower is seen on stilts above the construction site
The church’s is set to be standing on stilts for around a year until subsurface works are completed
The project involved months of investigations into the tower’s original foundations
The excavation required the presence of an archaeologist because of the age of the structure and the fact it was surrounded by historic ground
The historic All Hallows Staining Church is seen surrounded by ongoing construction work
The project is set to be completed in 2028. Above: A stunning view of the ‘suspended’ church
They took their concerns to the High Court earlier this year, arguing the new skyscraper would obstruct light into the nearby Willis Building, which it owns.
The fund sought an injunction to stop the development being completed in a way that infringes its rights. Unspecified damages were demanded as an alternative.
However, the City of London Corporation previously concluded when it approved the development in 2020 that it would not ‘result in unacceptable environmental impacts in terms of noise, air quality, wind, daylight and sunlight and overshadowing’.
The development is due to be completed in 2028.
Howard Dawber, deputy mayor of London for business and growth, who attended the bottoming out ceremony, said: ‘Fifty Fenchurch Street is a remarkable project and I am delighted to attend this unique ceremony that marks a significant construction milestone for this 36-storey flagship development.
‘Development projects like this one in the City of London highlight our capital’s position as a world-leading destination for leading businesses to invest.’
