Location

Steeped in history.

Throughout the centuries, All Hallows has been closely associated with a remarkable array of international and historical figures:

• Bishop John Fisher, executed at the Tower of London, was buried here in 1535.
• Sir Thomas More, also beheaded at the Tower, met the same fate in the same year.
• Lancelot Andrewes, later a renowned bishop and scholar, was baptised here in 1555.
• William Penn, founder of Pennsylvania, was baptised at All Hallows on 23 October 1644.
• Archbishop William Laud, another Tower victim, was buried here following his execution in 1645.
• Samuel Pepys famously observed the Great Fire of London in 1666 from the church tower.
• Judge Jeffreys, the infamous “hanging judge”, was married at All Hallows in 1667.
• John Quincy Adams, who would become the sixth President of the United States, was married here in 1797.
• Albert Schweitzer, humanitarian and musician, recorded organ music at the church.
• Philip “Tubby” Clayton, founder of the Toc H movement, served for many years as Vicar of All Hallows.

The church also serves as a place of remembrance. The Memorial Book of the Maritime Foundation is housed in the Mariners’ Chapel, alongside the Book of Remembrance for the Reconnaissance (Recce) Corps, both preserved with reverence at All Hallows.

The Tower of London: Fortress, Palace, and Prison

The Tower is a historic fortress and castle situated on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, within the borough of Tower Hamlets. It stands just beyond the eastern boundary of the City of London, separated from it by the open space known as Tower Hill.

Established in the aftermath of the Norman Conquest, the Tower was founded in late 1066. Its central keep, the iconic White Tower—built by William the Conqueror in 1078—gave the entire complex its name. Originally, it was seen by many as a hated symbol of Norman dominance over the city.

Although best known as a prison, the Tower served in that role from 1100 until 1952 and was never solely intended for incarceration. In its early years, it functioned as a grand royal palace and residence. Over time, the site developed into a complex of multiple buildings, surrounded by two concentric defensive walls and a moat.

The Tower underwent major expansions during the reigns of Richard I, Henry III, and Edward I in the 12th and 13th centuries. Despite subsequent alterations, the general layout of the Tower—established by the late 13th century—remains largely intact today.

Thomas Cromwell and the Tower

In April 1532, Henry awarded Cromwell his first formal office, that of Master of the Jewels, which required regular visits to the Jewel House at the Tower of London. 

During his time as the King’s Chief Minister from 1532 to 1540,  he had some famous people committed to the Tower including  – to mention a few:

• Thomas More was imprisoned on 17 April 1534 for treason. He was executed on 6 July 1535 and his body was buried at the Tower of London.
• Thomas Abel, chaplain to Queen Catherine of Aragon, was imprisoned for refusing to accept the annulment of her marriage to Henry VIII. He was put to death in Smithfield on 30 July 1540.
• Anne Boleyn, second wife of Henry, was imprisoned on 2 May 1536 on charges of High Treason: adultery, incest, and witchcraft. She remained a prisoner until 19 May 1536, when she was beheaded by a French swordsman on Tower Green. She was joined by:
  • George Boleyn: Anne’s brother, who was executed first because he was the highest in rank
  • Henry Norris: Groom of the stool
  • Francis Weston: A courtier
  • William Brereton: A courtier
  • Mark Smeaton: A musician in Queen Anne’s household

• Adam Sedbar, Abbot of Jervaulx, imprisoned in 1537 for taking part in the Pilgrimage of Grace, before being hanged, drawn and quartered.
• Richard Whiting Abbott of Glastonbury Abbey was imprisoned in 1539 for a short time before being returned to Glastonbury to be hanged, drawn and quartered.
• Margaret Pole, 8th Countess of Salisbury was imprisoned from 1539 until her beheading in 1541 for treason.

Contrary to popular belief, Henry’s dislike of his fourth wife, Anne of Cleves, was not the end for Cromwell. Although one contemporary gleefully observed ‘Cromwell is tottering’, the King soon forgave him and in April 1540 he created him Earl of Essex.

This infuriated Cromwell’s enemies – chief among whom was the Duke of Norfolk – and made them determined to get rid of this low-born upstart for good. They therefore started a whispering campaign against Cromwell and told Henry that he was plotting to rebel against him.

It took little to ignite the suspicions of this ageing and paranoid King, who did not hesitate to order Cromwell’s arrest on charges of treason and heresy.

Despite his pleas for mercy, the King did not heed his words and Cromwell was executed on Tower Hill on 28 July 1540. It took three blows of the axe by ‘the ‘ragged and butcherly’ executioner to sever his head.

When this had been displayed on London Bridge, it was reunited with the rest of his remains and buried in the Tower’s Chapel Royal of St Peter ad Vincula alongside his erstwhile rivals Anne Boleyn and Thomas More.

Cromwell’s name can be found on a plaque just inside the door of the Chapel Royal of St Peter ad Vincula, and there is a memorial on the site of his execution on Tower Hill.