Church of St Martin in the Fields
CHURCH OF ST MARTIN IN THE FIELDS, TRAFALGAR SQUARE WC2
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- I
- List Entry Number:
- 1217661
- Date first listed:
- 24-Feb-1958
- List Entry Name:
- Church of St Martin in the Fields
- Statutory Address:
- CHURCH OF ST MARTIN IN THE FIELDS, TRAFALGAR SQUARE WC2
Location
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Images of England Project
- Date:
- 2004-09-05
- Reference:
- IOE01/12604/24
- Rights:
- © Mr John Bird. Source: Historic England Archive
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- I
- List Entry Number:
- 1217661
- Date first listed:
- 24-Feb-1958
- Date of most recent amendment:
- 05-Feb-1970
- List Entry Name:
- Church of St Martin in the Fields
- Statutory Address 1:
- CHURCH OF ST MARTIN IN THE FIELDS, TRAFALGAR SQUARE WC2
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
Location
- Statutory Address:
- CHURCH OF ST MARTIN IN THE FIELDS, TRAFALGAR SQUARE WC2
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- County:
- Greater London Authority
- District:
- City of Westminster (London Borough)
- Parish:
- Non Civil Parish
- National Grid Reference:
- TQ 30102 80541
Details
TQ 3080 NW CITY OF WESTMINSTER TRAFALGAR SQUARE, WC2 72/135 Church of St Martin-in- 24.2.58 the Fields G.V. I Parish Church. 1722-26 by James Gibbs. Portland stone, leaded roof. Highly influential design combining (incongruously) Vitruvian temple with steeple and very restrained, minor use of Baroque detail (in tactfully judged political contrast to St Mary-le-Strand). Giant Corinthian hexastyle, 2 column deep portico, on podium of steps, carrying the pediment-gable end continuation of the roof line. The west front proper has one extra bay each side (of portico) and staged tower and steeple rise above it behind the portico. These end bays are flanked by giant Corinthian pilasters and their returns are emphasised as the tower bay by giant Corinthian columns in antis; 5 bays of 2 tiers of semicircular arched "Gibbs surround" windows then express the body of the church, terminating in a similarly emphasised bay to that of tower. Large Venetian east window. Fine interior, evolving from Wren's St Clement Danes and St James's Piccadilly, with a giant order as used by Hawksmoor carrying arches and the segmental tunnel vault, the inevitable galleries butting into column shafts. The chancel is narrower than the nave with noteworthy and theatrical feature of boxes to sides (that to north the Royal Pew) set on splay as a transition between nave and chancel. Fine plasterwork by Artari and Bagutti, fittings and momuments, lowered box-pews, etc. It was Nash who isolated the church as part of his West Strand Improvements, integrating it with the composition of Trafalgar Square. Survey of London; Vol XX Georgian London; John Summerson. London Vol I: N Pevsner.
Listing NGR: TQ3010280538
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
- Legacy System number:
- 207262
- Legacy System:
- LBS
Sources
Books and journals
Pevsner, N, Cherry, B, The Buildings of England: London I - The Cities of London and Westminster, (1973)
Summerson, J, Georgian London, (1945)
Survey of London in Trafalgar Square and neighbourhood The Parish of St Martin-in-the-Fields Part 3: Volume 20 , Vol. 20, (1979)
Legal
This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.
Map
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 26-Jun-2026 at 23:28:23.
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