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St Martin-in-the-Fields

St Martin-in-the-Fields

James Gibbs

Photo: Doyle of London · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Location
London, United Kingdom
Client / Owner
—
Year
Completed 1726
Access
Public
Typology
Spiritual

A 1719 Act of Parliament authorized the rebuilding and allowed up to 22,000 pounds to be raised by a rate on parishioners, though the total cost was 33,661 pounds. The commissioners chose James Gibbs and his simpler rectangular plan over a domed circular scheme. The infobox gives 1721 to 1726 for the work, while the text says the foundation stone was laid on March 19, 1722.

The church has a five-bay nave separated from the aisles by Corinthian colonnades, with a flattened barrel vault decorated in stucco by Giuseppe Artari and Giovanni Bagutti. The west front has a pedimented portico of six giant Corinthian columns. The tower rises inside the west wall behind the portico, and the spire is 192 feet (59 m) high.

The design was criticized at first but became widely copied, especially in the United States. The crypt holds a cafe, and a renewal reopened the church in 2008.

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