St Martin-in-the-Fields Church, London

St Martin-in-the-Fields is an Anglican church at the northeast corner of Trafalgar Square, in the City of Westminster, London. It is dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours.

A burial dating back to Roman times was discovered here during an excavation in 2006. It led to a reappraisal of the importance of Westminster during Roman times. The reason is, although the Romans usually bury their dead outside city limits, the site of St Martin was way outside the Roman city limits.

The earliest documentation of St Martin-in-the-Fields was found in 1222, where a dispute between the Abbot of Westminster and the Bishop of London over who had control over St Martin was recorded.

King Henry VIII rebuilt the church in 1542, so that plague victims do not have to pass by his residence at the Palace of Whitehall. At that time, the church was literally "in the fields", isolated and away from the cities of Westminster and London.

Although the old St Martin-in-the-Fields building was not destroyed by the Great London Fire of 1666, it was nevertheless replaced with a new building, by James Gibbs, in 1726. Though the new design was greeted with much criticism, it eventually found favour and became famous, leading to many similar copies built in the United States.

St Martin in the Fields Church on Google Maps Street View

St Martin-in-the-Fields Church interior
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Saint_Martin_in_the_Fields-0.jpg
Author: Steve Cadman


Due to its strategic location, St Martin-in-the-Fields is one of the most famous non-cathedral churches in London. It is famous for the social work done for the homeless. It is also a regular venue for lunchtime and evening concerts. A 36 million pound renewal project began in January 2006 is scheduled to be fully completed by early 2008.

St Martin-in-the-Fields Church at night
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:London_St._Martin_in_the_Fields_Night_1.jpg
Author: Gerry Lynch

Visiting St Martin-in-the-Fields Church

The nearest stations of the London Underground are the Charing Cross Tube Station (District Line, Northern Line) and Leicester Square Tube Station (Northern Line, Piccadilly Line). You can also take London Bus 6, 9, 11, 13, 15, 24

Location: Trafalgar Square WC2N 4JJ
Tel: 020 7766 1100
Opening Time: Mon-Sat, 8:00am-6:30pm, Sun 8:00am-7:30pm
Brass rubbingL Mon-Sat 10:00am-6:00pm, Sun 12:00noon-6:00pm
Tube Station: Charing Cross, Leicester Square

List of Churches in London