Later this year, St Martin-in-the-Fields will mark the 300th anniversary of the current church on the site – and they’ve opened a free tercentennial exhibition in its crypt.

There’s been a church on the site next to modern-day Trafalgar Square since at least 1222, when records show that the Abbot of Westminster and the Bishop of London were in dispute over control of a church at this location.

The name St Martin is a reference to St Martin of Tours, who is often considered a patron saint of many travelling trades, and churches devoted to him are often found at the boundaries of cities. The church was rebuilt by King Henry VIII, with its own parish, in 1542, not for reasons of piety, but to stop local plague victims from walking through his Palace of Whitehall to reach the burial grounds in Westminster.

It was rebuilt again in 1606 and again in 1724-26, and the current church was consecrated by the Bishop of London on 20th October 1726. The date is no accident, as it was the anniversary of King George I’s coronation, and the King had contributed to the cost of the church organ and authorised the church to fly the Royal Standard as it was within His Majesty’s parish.

And now, a new exhibition has brought together a range of historic items from its past 300 years.

Among the highlights of the exhibition are the original door handle for the 1726 church, which features a design of St Martin sharing his cloak with a beggar. There are also paintings and prints spanning 300 years, as well as an original London transport poster. The church is the hub for  London’s original Pearly Kings and Queens, so the Pearly Stole worn by the Vicar of St Martin’s for Pearly ceremonies is also here.

Probably the most impressive to look at is an exploded model of the church, showing the undercroft. The hole underneath the model isn’t a tube tunnel – alas.

Away from the historic drawings, there’s quite a bit more about the more recent history of the church, showing how it adapted to the Chinese migration from Limehouse, was one of the first to introduce a cafe in the church and through its homeless outreach and support for civil rights issues.

As part of the exhibition work, they’ve also been investigating the people who were buried in the church, and whose ledger stones now form the floor of the crypt cafe.

And over by the toilets, look for William Fatt, who likely worked in the royal palaces, voted in the 1749 Westminster by-election, making him one of London’s earliest known Black voters.

Until now, John London was understood to be the first Black voter in London, but it now appears that William Fatt can join John London as the joint-earliest, both pre-dating the well-known Black British writer and composer, Ignatius Sancho, by 31 years.

You can check out the ledgerstone while visiting the exhibition, which is free to visit and open until 15th November 2026.

The church is next to Trafalgar Square and open daily from 11am to 5pm (10am on Thur and Sat). Do check the website as opening hours may vary each week.

There are also short tours of the church every Wednesday at 2pm.