on the south side thereof about their churchyard, but foully defaced and ruinated."

The whole was destroyed or very much injured in the Great Fire, and rebuilt by Wren, who, according to his custom, used such parts of the walls and foundations as were available. The tower and north aisle or ambulatory of this structure (which seems never to have been open to the nave) were removed in 1876 for the widening of Upper Thames Street. This, however, did not affect the general appearance of the interior, which had been very little changed since Wren's time, and was in fact the only interior of a Wren church at all in its original state, except that of the small church of St. Mildred, Bread Street; to students of architecture it was therefore of particular value. Among the fittings was the famous open screen, shown in our illustration, which is now in St. Margaret's Church, Lothbury. This is usually said to have been made at Hamburg, and given by the Hanseatic merchants so long connected with the neighbouring Steelyard. It is, however, clearly English, and seems to have been paid for in the ordinary way. It is likely that German merchants subscribed towards the cost, for although the Hanseatic Company in London had lost its special privileges

THE CHURCH OF ST. MICHAEL BASSI

SHAW,

like that of St. Michael, Wood Street, was of early foundation, had been very much injured in the Great Fire, and was rebuilt from the designs of Wren, the lower part of the old tower being incorporated in his structure. It was destroyed and the site built over in 1899-1900.