St Olave's Church, Southwark

The church was dedicated to Olav Haraldsson, an early King of Norway, who attempted to convert his people to Christianity and was martyred in 1030.

St Olave’s is presumed to be the church mentioned in the Southwark Domesday Book entry, from which it appears that it had royal patronage before the Norman Conquest of England in 1066.

The church is first mentioned by name in 1096 in relation to its priest ‘Peter de St Olavo’ being party to a land transaction involving Bermondsey Priory.

In 1737 this was replaced by a new church designed by Henry Flitcroft and built by Master Mason John Deval,[7] which in turn was severely damaged in a major fire in Tooley Street in 1843.

In 1926 it was declared redundant and the nave was demolished, leaving a forlorn tower, removed in 1928, when its capping turret was relocated to Tanner Street Park, Southwark, where it was converted into a drinking fountain.

A separate St Olave's Foundation Fund still supports local youth's educational and vocational aspirations through grants.