James Gibbs (1682-1754), born in Aberdeen, trained as an architect in Rome before working with Christopher Wren. He designed St Mary-le-Strand before taking on the commission for St Martin-in-the-Fields. In 1728, he published A Book of Architecture, which became an influential pattern book for religious buildings around the world; as a result, churches resembling St Martin’s can still be found everywhere from Kolkata to Manhattan.
The 1726 Church
The Rebuilding Commissioners oversaw the construction of the new St Martin-in-the-Fields and levied a local tax to fund it, at a total cost of £33,661 (equivalent to over £6 million in 2026). They appointed James Gibbs as the architect, and in 1726 the church was consecrated: a striking composition in Portland stone blending Baroque and Palladian styles, with a 192-foot Gothic steeple and a classical temple front.
Visitors entering the church at the time of its opening would have been struck by the light streaming through clear glass windows, and the remarkable stucco ceiling created by Giovanni Bagutti and Giuseppe Artari.
Changes were made to the building over ensuing centuries. Pews were added to the nave in the mid-eighteenth century, and gas lighting was installed in the 1810s. The latter was a bold innovation at a time when many leading clergy denounced it as ‘profane and contrary to God’s law’. The later Victorians introduced stained-glass windows and electric lights.
In the 1830s, the creation of Trafalgar Square transformed the area around the church, and the graveyards were replaced with underground vaults. The crypt and vaults were completely cleared in the 1930s and adapted for social use. In 2006, a £36 million renewal project restored the church, crypt, and surrounding buildings.