The exterior of the church, as we now see it, consists of a brick tower, 75 feet high, erected in 1628; by its side, where the nave has been cut away, a wall and large window have been built.
The foundations of the nave are still below the soil of the churchyard, and near the wall on the right some fragments of columns may be seen.
There is a curious custom still observed on Good Friday; the churchwardens proceed to a certain grave, on the stone of which are placed 21 sixpences; 21 poor, aged people have to stoop and take them off the stone; some are so old and decrepit as scarcely to be able to do so; the minister is also paid the like number of sixpences.
We will now enter the Church. Over the space before reaching the Choir the Tower originally stood; it was supported on four arches, which still remain. Passing on, we come to the Choir; how striking is the solid grandeur of the massive Norman columns, more than seven hundred years old, and seemingly built to stand for ever. These support the fine semi-circular arches of the edifice. An open triforium interposes, as usual, between them and the roof, thus leaving the rafters exposed to view, which is not to be seen in any other London church. The strong timber roof is similar to that in Peterborough Cathedral.
At the north-east angle of the Choir is the beautiful Tomb of the venerable Founder and first Prior of the Monastery. This monument, supposed to have been erected at the beginning of the fourteenth century, was restored by Prior Bolton. Its preservation is still ensured by a legacy bequeathed for the purpose of keeping it in constant repair.
The effigy of Rahere is doubtless a likeness; he is habited in black robes; two Canons kneel at his feet, reading from a Bible open at the 51st chapter of Isaiah, with the following words:—“The Lord shall comfort Zion; He will comfort all her waste places; and He will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.”
Below him on the front of the monument are four splendid coats of arms, sculptured and painted; and above him a rich canopy with ogee arches. The tomb is altogether a handsome and interesting work.