St Mary Woolnoth Church 

NB there are loads of vids about Newton inc a full movie!

‘A friend of hers had visited London and been inspired by a sermon at St Mary Woolnoth, in the heart of the City of London. She said the preacher was extremely popular and had saved more souls than you could count. Mrs Buchanan therefore wrote to her son, ending the letter ‘Please go. Do it for me’. He went, and was forever grateful to her for the advice.’ This is a quote from The Claudians: gardens, landscapes, reason and faith: John Claudius Loudon and Claudius Buchanan, Tom Turner (Kindle, 2024).

More about St Mary Woolnoth in The City of London

It is an Anglican church on one of the oldest church sites in the City of London. Its name implies a connection with Wulfnoth or the wool trade. It was first documented in 1191. The church was rebuilt in the 15th century and again after the Great Fire of London in the seventeenth century. The present church, designed by Nicholas Hawksmoor opened for worship on Easter Day 1727. It is in the English Baroque style with two flat-topped turrets supported by Corinthian columns. John Newton, the anti-slavery campaigner and hymnist, was the incumbent here from 1780 to 1807. St Mary Woolnoth is close to the Bank of England, Bank Junction and the Royal Exchange (which has remarkably expensive coffee).

St Mary Woolnoth no longer has regular church services, partly because the City of London has few residents. But it remains open, used as a place for quiet contemplation and a tourist attraction with an exhibition of John Newton's contribution to Britain's anti-slavery campaign. The fame of Newton's hymn, Amazing Grace, also attracts visitors. For those interested in the encounter of the young Claudius Buchanan with the wise and mature John Newton it is a poignant locale for contemplation. They could have occasional performances from actors deliving Newton's sermons.