2-699-112 - The Print Collector/Heritage Images

'The Church of Allhallows, Barking, in 1750', (c1872). Also known as All Hallows-by-the-Tower, the church on Byward Street in the City of London was founded in 675 AD and is one of the oldest churches in London. It survived the Great Fire of London in 1666 after Admiral William Penn, (father of William Penn, founder of Pennsylvania), had his men from a nearby naval yard demolish surrounding buildings to create firebreaks. During the Great Fire, Samuel Pepys climbed the spire to watch the progress of the blaze: the saddest sight of desolation. It is one of the oldest churches in London. From Old and New London, Vol. II: A Narrative of Its History, Its People, and Its Places, by Walter Thornbury. [Cassell, Petter, Galpin & Co., London, Paris & New York]