A medieval London church tower has been suspended 45ft above the ground in what has been described as a “never-seen-before feat of engineering”.
The tower of All Hallows Staining was balanced on stilts above a 60,000 sq ft excavation site at 50 Fenchurch Street as part of a major City of London building project.
A “bottoming out” ceremony on Tuesday came after the removal of more than 125,000 tonnes of earth beneath the tower to make way for a 650,000 sq ft office tower.
People stand beneath the 700-year-old tower of All Hallows Staining (PA)
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 development is due to be completed in 2028.
The new 36-storey tower will contain ground-floor shops, 62,000 square metres of office space, and a public roof garden, as well as a 360-degree “public realm experience”.
As part of the development, other buildings on the site, including the church hall of St Olave Hart Street and the historic Clothworkers’ Hall, have already been demolished.
All that remains of All Hallows Staining, which was built in the 14th century, is the tower, which dates to around 1320.
The medieval tower is all that remains of a church that was built in the 14th century (PA)
It survived the Great Fire of London in 1666 but collapsed five years later – an incident that is believed to have been caused by too many burials at the site.
The church is one of two listed buildings the project will work around, the other being Lambe’s Chapel Crypt.
Howard Dawber, deputy mayor of London for business and growth, 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.”