The Church Tower is a lasting monument to the greatest English architect of the 17th century, Sir Christopher Wren. Crafted from the medieval foundations of what was once one of the largest Franciscan churches in London, The Church Tower contains a rich and fascinating history within its walls.

The original church founded on the site dates to 1226, when a fledgling order of Franciscan friars established themselves in the City of London. Known as the Grey Friars, they became one of the most influential and prosperous arms of the church, rivalling even the affluence of the Bishop at nearby St Paul’s. The Grey Friars advertised their success in their church at Newgate Street, which became the largest Friary church in England. An impressive 300ft long and 65ft high, it boasted a tower and spire over 150ft tall. Royalty and countless nobility were all buried here; their magnificent marble tombs later sold in Henry VIII’s dissolution of the monasteries.

The remarkable medieval edifice was destroyed in the 1666 Great Fire of London. It remained untouched for over a decade, until Sir Christopher Wren breathed new life into its ruins, building on top of the medieval foundations to create one of the most elegant churches in the City of London. The first phase of the new building was completed in 1687 at a cost of £11,778. Of the 51 London churches rebuilt by Wren after the fire, this was the second-largest budget made available and "a testimony to its status". The second phase of construction, which began in 1703 and was completed a year later, saw the addition of a steeple above the tower. This is attributed to the noted English Baroque architect Nicholas Hawksmoor, himself an apprentice of Wren.

The fate of The Church Tower was sealed on the evening of Sunday 29 December 1940: at the height of the Blitz, a firebomb scored a direct hit, destroying everything inside the body of the church. The aisle pillars collapsed, taking the roof with them and leaving the charred remains of Wren’s ornamental plasterwork. Overnight, one of the most magnificent interiors in the city was destroyed. Only the tower and steeple were spared the impact of the firebomb, although the delicate steeple was later found to have suffered severe structural damage and was dismantled by the Diocese of London. All the stones were numbered, removed and laid out on the floor of the nave. A new brick and concrete skin were then erected and the original stones replaced.

The fate of the main church remained undecided for many years following the Second World War. Restoration work on the tower began in the late 1950s by ecclesiastical architects Seely & Paget. They took a lease on the building in the 1960s, refurbishing it for their own use and creating offices in the old double-height porch. At the same time, the finials on the tower, which had been removed in the 19th century, were replaced. Later in that same decade, the Corporation of London acquired the freehold of the nave and, in 1973, demolished the east wall, along with five of the six bays along the south wall, to create a rose garden.

The remains of The Church Tower were Grade I-listed in 1950, and in 1975 the site was identified as a Scheduled Ancient Monument. In 2000, planning permission was granted for conversion to residential use along with the sale of the freehold. Works were completed in the middle of that same decade.