St Ann Blackfriars, Medieval parish church in Farringdon Within, England
St Ann Blackfriars was a medieval parish church located near the River Fleet with thick stone walls made from ragstone. The building featured distinctive architectural elements crafted from Reigate stone and measured approximately 20 meters across.
The building began as a chapel within the Dominican Blackfriars Priory but lost its purpose after Henry VIII dissolved the priory in 1550. A new parish church was established on the site in 1597, taking over the abandoned religious function.
The location attracted artists like van Dyck and Isaac Oliver who set up workshops here because it was exempt from the strict guild rules that governed London's other districts. This freedom made the parish a place where craftspeople could work without the usual restrictions.
The site is now a paved public garden with visible gravestones, located near Ireland Yard in the Farringdon Within area of the City of London. The location is easy to find and access on foot as it sits in a central part of this historic district.
A wooden statue of St Ann that once stood in this building is now kept at nearby St Andrew by the Wardrobe church. A memorial plaque in Church Entry Lane marks where the original church stood and keeps its memory alive for visitors passing through.
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