This famous church occupies a highly visible site at the northeast corner of Trafalgar Square and across the street from the National Gallery. It is probably the one parish church in London recognized by most tourists. St Martin’s has an active ministry of social welfare. It is also internationally known for classical music broadcasts of the Academy of St Martin-inthe Fields under the direction of Neville Marriner.

St Martin-in-the-Fields is at the foot of St Martin’s Lane, once a broad road that ran north from Charing Cross to St Giles Street. It probably started as a chapel near the village of Charing (or Cheering) to serve the monks of St Peter’s at Westminster on their visits to the monastery gardens (on the site of the present Covent Garden).

By the time of Henry VIII, the parish served by St Margaret’s, Westminster, had increased in size. The royal court feared possible contagion from the dead bodies that were so often carried past the palace of Westminster for burial at St Margaret’s, so a new parish church was built to replace the old chapel of St Martin. By the eighteenth century the parish of St Giles had grown to over 40,000 people, necessitating a larger building. The present church was designed by the famous James Gibbs, architect of the Radcliffe Camera at Oxford and St Mary-le-Strand. It was finished in 1721. The combination of a classical pedimented portico with stately columns and a soaring clock tower surmounted by a steeple is world famous and has often been imitated, particularly in America.

St Martin-in-the-Fields is a royal church, as the greater part of Buckingham Palace is included in the parish. The names of some of the royal children baptized at the palace may be found in the register. George I was once a churchwarden; in fact, he was the only royal churchwarden in English history! The visitor will see boxes for royalty and the Admiralty in the church. During World War I the Rev. H.R.L. (Dick) Sheppard became vicar after serving on the Western Front. His ‘open door’ ministry to soldiers passing through Charing Cross Station to and from war service is still affectionately remembered.