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The Chapel of St John, dating
from 1080, is the oldest church in London.
It is on on the second floor
of the White Tower which was built in 1077 - 97 as a keep
or citadel, and is the oldest part of William the Conqueror's
great fortress by the Thames.
The beautiful Romanesque chapel
was constructed from stone imported from France and has survived
complete from the early Norman period, rather than other Norman
churches in England which date from the mid-12th century.
The chapel has a tunnel-vaulted
nave with an east apse and groin-vaulted aisles, and the gallery
above curves around the apse. Thick, round piers support
unmoulded arches, with the only decoration provided by simple
carvings of scallop and leaf designs.
Because St Peter ad Vincula
is the parish church of the Tower of London, St John's Chapel
so often overlooked.
Today, this complete 11th century
church, a rarity anywhere, remains one of the least known
among London's historic churches.
Admission charge
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