All Hallows-by-the-Tower

Standing beside the Tower of London, All Hallows-by-the-Tower claims origins in the seventh century, making it one of the oldest churches in the City. A Saxon arch built partly from Roman tiles survives inside, and an undercroft museum displays a stretch of tessellated Roman pavement found beneath the floor. From its tower the diarist Samuel Pepys watched the Great Fire spread, and William Penn was baptised here. Damaged in the Blitz and rebuilt, it keeps a rich store of medieval brasses.