St Martin Within Ludgate: The Best Preserved Wren Church

After the Great Fire of London in 1666, the office of Sir Christopher Wren was entrusted to rebuild 51 of the 87 City churches destroyed in the blaze.

Many have been lost since then either to the clearances of the late 19th century or to the Luftwaffe in World War Two. 24 remain today, including the beautiful St Stephen Walbrook and St Mary Aldermary.

Of those surviving, lots have been restored, renovated or altered over the years. The least altered however is said to be St Martin within Ludgate.

It can be found on Ludgate Hill, just down the road from St Paul’s Cathedral. 

Due to its proximity to St Paul’s I feel that perhaps it gets a bit overlooked compared to other Wren churches in the City!

Medieval Origins

There was possibly a church on this site going back to the Anglo-Saxon period, it being said that ‘Cadwallo King of the Britons’ was buried here in 677AD. However, the first proper record of a church on the site was in the 12th century. 

The ‘within Ludgate’ part of the name meant that it was just inside the city walls, specifically just inside Ludgate, the Westernmost one of the seven gates leading into the medieval city.

The gates were demolished in the 1760s to ease congestion but they generally lend their names to areas of London today: Aldgate, Moorgate, Bishopsgate etc.

The St Martin in question here is St Martin of Tours- a patron saint of travellers. Churches dedicated to him therefore usually sit by city gates. 

The church was rebuilt in 1437 and repaired in the 17th century. William Penn, the father of the founder of Pennsylvania was married in the church in 1643. 

Wren’s Rebuilding

After the Great Fire ravaged London, St Martin within Ludgate was rebuilt by the office of Sir Christopher Wren. It is thought by some that his assistant Nicholas Hawksmoor, probably had a significant hand in the church too. 

More or less finished by 1680, it was one of Wren’s later projects. The sharp steeple is thought to have been designed as a deliberate contrast to the rounded dome of St Paul’s Cathedral when looking up Ludgate Hill.

It is also thought that Wren would stand on the spire’s balcony to watch the progress of St Paul’s. 

St Martin within Ludgate is one of the churches he designed in a ‘Greek Cross’ shape around four columns. 

What To Spot

Of all of Wren’s churches, St Martin within Ludgate probably has the most surviving 17th century features. Incredibly, only one incendiary bomb mildly damaged the roof during the Blitz.

The organ, reredos, pulpit and guard rails around the altar are all original 17th century features.

The rails were to keep ‘people and dogs’ away from the altar and ‘give it proper dignity’. 

There is also the unusual carved oak, double-seated churchwarden’s chair- the only one thought to exist. 

Another interesting feature is the 17th century font.

It features a Greek palindrome (reads the same forwards and backwards). ΝΙΨΟΝ ΑΝΟΜΗΜΑΤΑ ΜΗ ΜΟΝΑΝ ΟΨΙΝ Nipson anomemata me monan opsin (Wash the sins, not only the face). 

Look out as well for the 17th century ‘bread shelves’. These were originally from the church of St Mary Magdalene (demolished in the 1890s) and would have hung in the entryway for wealthy parishioners to leave bread for the poor of the parish to collect. 

The chandelier is not an original 17th feature, but dates from around 1777. It came from St Vincent’s Cathedral in the West Indies, why or how it came to London though, no-one is quite sure.

The stained glass windows are 19th century and in fact are the only aspect of the church that are not very Wren-like. He preferred clear glass to bring a lot of light into his churches.

How to Visit

Today St Martin’s is a guild church and was Grade I listed in 1950. The church does not have services but is the church of the Stationers Company, one of the livery companies of the City. 

It may not be the most aesthetically amazing of Wren’s churches but it is absolutely worth a visit to see all the original woodwork and details.

It opens Monday-Thursday 11am-3pm for visitors.

Thank you for reading, more of London’s fascinating historical sights below!