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The Church of St. Martin in the Fields Essay

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If you walk along Charing Cross Road from Tottenham Court Road you will come across an area called Trafalgar Square, which is a well-known public space and tourist attraction in Central London. The Square is situated in the city of Westminster and at its center is Nelson’s column, which is surrounded by four lion statues at its base. In the area there are a number of commemorative statues and sculptures within the Square. Just as you reach the square on the left is a church called St. Martin in the Fields. James Gibbs built the church from 1722-1724, in honor of Saint Martin of Tours. It directly faces Trafalgar Square and is separated from the square by Charing Cross Road. The church stands tall and is surrounded by several businesses, …show more content…

Some of the earliest information on the church dates back to 1222 over a dispute between the Abbot of Westminster and the Bishop of London over who had sole control over the church. The Archbishop decided in favor of Westminster so the monks of Westminster Abbey began to use the church for their own personal use. In 1542, Henry VIII rebuilt the church to keep plague victims from the area from having to pass through his Palace of Whitehall. At this time in history, the church isolated between the cities of Westminster and London so it was a good place to keep the plague victims away from the rest of society. In 1606, James granted an acre of land for a new churchyard. The building was enlarged eastwards, increasing the length of the church by about half its original size (McMaster 105). The church was built of brick and covered with stone facings. The roof was tiled and there was now a stone tower with buttresses protruding from the back of the church. The ceiling was slightly arched while the interior was filled with galleries on the north, south, and west sides. In 1720, Parliament passed an act for the rebuilding of the church allowing for a sum of up to 22,000 pounds to be raised to rebuild it (McMaster 50). A temporary church was constructed on the churchyard and partly on the ground for the reformation of the church. The rebuilding commissioners selected

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