The bombed London church that was reborn in the USA

St Mary Aldermanbury, built around the 12th century and redesigned by Sir Christopher Wren after the Great Fire of London, was destroyed during the Blitz and left in ruins for nearly 20 years. Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri, proposed relocating the church in the 1960s to honor Winston Churchill's Iron Curtain speech. The project garnered support from influential leaders, including John F. Kennedy, who became its honorary chairman. Churchill endorsed the initiative, describing it as an "imaginative concept.

" Efforts to raise the $1. 5 million needed for the move involved extensive fundraising and approvals from both the City of London and the Diocese of London. In 1965, the church was meticulously dismantled, with each of its 7,000 stones cleaned for the reconstruction. The project symbolized the enduring relationship between the US and UK post-World War II. This unique relocation preserved a piece of British history and highlighted the significance of Churchill's legacy.