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After suffering
considerable damage during the Blitz in 1940, with only the steeple escaping
unscathed, the church building and its interior was restored by Stephen
Dykes-Bower, a project which was not undertaken until 1962. However, much of
the church furniture survived, and can still be seen inside the church today.
The Font
The font (which is still
used for baptisms) and its cover both date from the late seventeenth century.
The font was originally made for the church of St. Anne and St. Agnes, situated
in Gresham Street, and is thought to be the work of Grinling Gibbons.
The Pulpit
The pulpit, similarly to
the font, is attributed to Grinling Gibbons, and was constructed for the church
of All Hallows Bread Street. The pulpit is covered with elaborate carvings,
some of which are original, and others that were added during the church's
restoration, including scenes depicting the church bells crashing down in 1940,
a flaming torch (of learning), the fountain of life, a phoenix rising out of
the ashes, and the Goldsmith's Company Arms, a lion's head.
Altar and Reredos
Although the altar is
modern, the reredos is thought to date back as far as the seventeenth century.
The reredos takes the form of three wooden panels, with the ten commandments
placed centrally, and the Our Father and the Apostles' Creed to the left and
right. It was not originally constructed for St. Vedast's, but came from the
church of St. Christopher-le-Stocks, which was demolished in 1781.
The Lectern
The lectern, standing to
the left of the altar, was donated to the church by the Saddlers Company as a
gift. An icon of the Saviour is fixed to the front of the lectern, the
sixteenth century original of which is held by the Ryblev museum in Moscow.
The Chapel of Our
Lady and St. Dunstan
The small chapel situated
to the right of the altar is dedicated jointly to Our Lady and to St. Dunstan,
the Goldsmiths Company's patron saint. The altar in the chapel is partly made
up of surviving pieces of the altar from the church of All Hallows Bread
Street. The joint dedication to St. Dunstan occurred because of the church's
links with the Goldsmiths Company; St. Dunstan, himself a skilled goldsmith,
illuminator, embroiderer and musician was their patron.
'Petro'
St. Vedast's churchyard
houses a small memorial to Vladimir Petropavlovsky, a soldier who died in 1971.
The inscription on the stone reads 'In memory of 'Petro', Major Vladimir
Vassilievitch Petropavlovsky 1888-1971, Soldier of the Tsar - of France - of
England, this tablet was erected by George Courtauld and other friends. 'This
was a Man''.
Sculpture of Canon
Mortlock
Resting in one corner of
the churchyard, this is a sculpture by Jacob Epstein. It is a memorial to Canon
C.B. Mortlock, a past incumbent of the parish, whose ashes are buried in front
of the altar in the Lady Chapel of the church.