St Martin Ludgate Church
Welcome to the Church of St Martin Ludgate, which is designated as a Chapel of Ease within the parish of St Andrew by the Wardrobe. We are situated on Ludgate Hill near St Paul’s Cathedral and almost opposite City Thameslink station (Ludgate Hill exit).
We are open on Thursdays and Fridays between 11am and 3pm.
We will be holding a lunchtime Mass at 12.30 on Monday 16 May followed by tea and sandwiches.
For all enquiries relating to St Martin’s, including bookings, please contact the parish administrator.
HISTORY
St Martin’s was one of Wren’s later rebuilding and its slender lead spire was most carefully considered in relation to the dome of St Paul’s Cathedral. The view eastward from Ludgate Circus towards St Paul’s is one of the most memorable in London.
The first written reference to the church was of a medieval church on the site in 1174. This was rebuilt in 1437 and the tower was struck by lightning in 1561. Before the Reformation the patronage of the church belonged to the Abbot and Chapter of Westminster until 1540, 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 4th September 1666 the Great Fire of London engulfed St Martin’s which was gutted. Rebuilding was not immediate, was largely completed by 1680, but not finally until 1703. At the same time the church was set back from the old site, as Ludgate Hill was widened.
In 1890 the three parishes of St Martin’s, St Mary Magdalen Old Fish Street, which had been burnt down in 1888 and not rebuilt, and St Gregory by St Paul’s, destroyed by the Great Fire, were united (See the paintings to the right of the altar).
1894 saw major rebuilding and alterations, giving St Martin’s much of the layout it has today. The floor level was raised at the east end, creating the chancel area.
In 1941 an incendiary bomb damaged the roof, but St Martin’s received the least damage of all the city churches in the war.
In 1954 St Martin’s became a Guild Church (ie it does not have a parish but has other responsibilities and functions). It also became the ward church of Farringdon Within in the City of London.
1962 saw St Martin’s become the Chapel of the Honourable Society of the Knights of the Round Table whose history is ancient, although evidence is only patent from 1720.
A major renewal of the fabric, spire and roofs were completed in 1990. Redecoration, renovation of lighting and heating followed, prior to a formal reopening on St Martin’s Day, 11th November 1992, in the presence of T.R.H. The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester.
CHINESE CHURCH
EFGCC worship here on Sundays.
Elim Full Gospel Chinese Church (EFGCC) is a member of the Elim Foursquare Gospel Alliance (www.elim.org.uk). Our vision is to reach Chinese people and make disciples for Jesus in London and the UK.
To this end, we are a cell-based church which encourages the training and nurturing of individuals in local cell groups, as well as in the more traditional Sunday meetings.
To find out more, please visit our website at www.elimfgcc.org or email us on info@elimfgcc.org.