St Martin-within-Ludgate
Ludgate Hill
London
EC4M 7DE
T: 020 7248 6054
W: www.stmartin-within-ludgate.org.uk/
Visitor Information
This important City church certainly has an interesting history. Before the Reformation, the patronage belonged to the Abbot and Chapter of Westminster, then until 1554 to the Bishop of Westminster, when it passed to the Bishop of London and then to the Chapter of St Paul's, with whom it remains. These patrons are represented in the stained glass windows in the north wall.
In 1643 William Penn, whose son founded Pennsylvania, USA, was married in the church. On 4 September 1666 the Great Fire of London engulfed St Martin's which was gutted. Rebuilding was not immediate – it was largely completed by 1680, but not finally till 1703. At the same time the church was set back from the old site, as Ludgate Hill was widened.
In 1941 an incendiary bomb damaged the roof, but St Martin's received the least damage of all the city churches in the war. The most recent update was in the early 90s, when a major renewal of the fabric, spire and roofs was completed. Redecoration, renovation of lighting and heating followed, prior to a formal reopening on St Martin's Day, 11 November 1992, in the presence of T.R.H. the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester.