Description
In 1941, the original ‘Memorial Church of the Pilgrim Fathers’ – built in 1864 – was reduced to rubble by a Luftwaffe bombing raid. In 1956, a new church, costing £17,500, was opened on Great Dover Street not far from the previous site. Winthrop Aldrich, the American Ambassador in Britain and a Pilgrim descendant, did the honours, and various civic figures gathered for the opening speeches. On the outside there was a tablet with an image of the ship captioned simply ‘The Mayflower sailed from the Thames, 1620’. Inside, a memorial stone to the Separatists of Southwark who had been imprisoned in the local prison for their dissenting views in the late 17th century – such as Henry Barrowe and John Greenwood – was unveiled by the Reverend Sidney Berry. Queen Elizabeth II even sent a message to the church congratulating its members, saying their work ‘cannot fail to strengthen the bonds between Great Britain and America.' The next year, the Queen would be involved in another Mayflower commemoration - the reopening of St Bride's on Fleet Street. Reflecting the dwindling number of religious observers, however, today the Pilgrim Father's Memorial Church is no more - the building is now the offices of a travel agent, and the Mayflower tablet has gone.
You can see a video of the new church being opened here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-ps8xm1HK8&t=12s
Source
'Pilgrim Fathers Church Opened’, The Times (6th October 1956), 8.