Welcome back to another episode of five minutes in church history. Once again we are

on location in the city of London.

There are so many churches in this city that have quite a story to tell, but I want to focus on

one, St Giles Cripplegate. A church has been on this site for over 1,000 years.

There's a tower on this church that was built in 1682.

But if you look closely at the base of that tower,

you will see some of the original stones

of the original church building that date to 1090.

This is one of the few remaining medieval churches that survived the great fire of London.

It survived the bombing, the blitz of World War II.

At St Giles Cripplegate, there have been so many notable attendees and ministers.

Lancelot Andrews was one of the King James Version translators.

He was a minister here.

John Bunyan worshipped here often when he was in the city of London.

Oliver Cromwell was married here in 1620.

Daniel Defoe, the author of Robinson Caruso,

was baptized here, and John Fox,

whose Fox's Book of Martyrs was published in 1563 and commemorated all those martyrs

during the reign of Bloody Mary, John Fox preached here and he is actually buried inside the church right up against

the chancel arch. Ben Johnson, the poet, attended St. Giles, and John Milton was a parishioner here, the author of that epic work, Paradise Lost. He too is buried inside this church. William Shakespeare's

brother was a member of this church and when Shakespeare's two nephews were baptized,

William Shakespeare was here for the services.

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