Church of St Dunstan in the West, which in Fleet Street, is very different from the usual Anglican Communion: a rectangular building within the outline of the octagon.

It is believed that the first church on the site was built at the turn of the X-XI centuries. Perhaps to its base a hand Dunstan Archbishop of Canterbury, who died in 988. This is one of the most venerated saints of the Anglo-Saxon Britain was an outstanding statesman and church figure, as well as a musician, artist, researcher.

In written documents, the church was first mentioned in 1185. In 1666, she escaped from the Great Fire of London: Westminster College Dean of the night was awakened by forty scientists who, passing through the chain buckets of water, defended the church. At the beginning of the XIX century, the old church was torn down by the decision of the parliament - Fleet Street needs to be expanded. In 1831 he laid the first stone of the present building designed by John Shaw Senior. The project architect, laid the idea of ​​an octagonal tower in the Gothic style, already tested it before the church of St. Helena in York. The show did not live, however, to complete his masterpiece, completed by his son. The church survived during World War II, although the bombs and damaged openwork lantern tower.

In the design of the temple was used a lot of details that have been preserved from the old church. The facade - Glockenspiel with two human figures. It is believed that this is the biblical Gog and Magog. Put them here in 1671 in memory of the salvation of the church from the fire, and since then every quarter of an hour to hit the small bells. The figures each year participate in the parade of the Lord Mayor City. Under the chimes hang on the iron bracket is very beautiful watch - the first London street clock with the minute hand.

In a niche in the wall of the church is a statue of Queen Elizabeth I, relating to 1586 - the only surviving statue of the Queen, created with her life. For centuries, it was at the gates of the medieval wall Ludgate in London. Next - a bust of newspaper magnate, co-founder of "Daily Mail" and "Mirror" Lord Northcliffe, as well as a memorial plaque dedicated to the eminent British journalist and editor James Louis Garvin. Attention Temple explained to journalists: Fleet Street has long been considered a stronghold of the British press.

Inside the church is surrounded by a deep octagonal nave arches. In one of them - a Flemish altarpiece carved wood XVIII century. On the walls of the church - a huge number of commemorative plaques: it preached in the years 1624-31 the great poet and clergyman John Donne, lectured the first translator of the Bible into English by William Tyndale, prayed outstanding diarist Samuel Pepys. Buried here in 1632, the founder of Maryland (USA), Lord Baltimore.

Very nice stained glass windows of the church. Here Saint Dunstan stands next to a roaring fire oven, in the hands of a mite that he is willing to undermine the devil. But John of England signed the Magna Carta.