This is the 1729 masterpiece of Wren's associate, Nicholas Hawksmoor. Hawksmoor built only six London churches; this one was commissioned as part of Parliament's 1711 "Fifty New Churches Act." The idea was to score points for the Church of England against such nonconformists as the Protestant Huguenots. (It must have worked; in the churchyard, you can still see some of their gravestones, with epitaphs in French.) As the local silk industry declined, the church fell into disrepair and by 1958 the structure was crumbling and had to be closed. The structure is now completely restored -- there's always a fine view of the colonnaded portico and tall spire from Brushfield Street to the west -- although the interior work continues and the church is closed for the duration until summer 2004. COST: Free; charge for concerts. Tube: Aldgate East.