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St. Martin-in-the-Fields Review

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St. Martin-in-the-Fields

Address: Trafalgar Sq., Covent Garden, London, WC2N 4CC | Map It
Phone: 020/7766-1100; 020/7839-8362 evening-concert credit-card bookings
www.smitf.org

Category: Religious Sites
Location: Westminster and Royal London

Write a review | Avg. member rating: 2.2/5

Fodor's Review:

One of London's best-loved and most welcoming of churches, has been enhanced both inside and out by expensive and time-consuming refurbishment work and the building's array of functions continues unabated. It's a welcome sight for the homeless, who have sought soup and shelter here since 1914. The church is also a haven for music lovers; the internationally known Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields was founded here, and a popular program of concerts continues today. (However, although the interior is a wonderful setting, the wooden benches can make it hard to give your undivided attention to the music.) The crypt is a hive of lively activity, with a café and shop, plus the London Brass-Rubbing Centre, where you can make your own life-size souvenir knight, lady, or monarch from replica tomb brasses, with metallic waxes, paper, and instructions provided from about £5; and the Gallery in the Crypt, showing an exhibition on the history of the church. St. Martin's is often called the royal parish church, partly because Charles II was christened here: the small medieval chapel that once stood on the site, probably used by the monks of Westminster Abbey, gave way to a grand rebuilding, completed in 1726, and James Gibbs's classical temple-with-spire design also became a familiar pattern for churches in early colonial America. Though it has to compete for attention with Trafalgar Square's many prominent structures, its spire is actually slightly taller than Nelson's Column.

Cost: Concerts £6-£22
Open: Mon.-Sat. 8-6, Sun. 8-6 for worship; café Mon.-Sat. 8-8
Tube: Charing Cross, Leicester Sq.

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Member Reviews and Ratings

Reviewed by bachslunch from US on 4/6/08
The chapel upstairs is pretty non-descript, the crypt a bit more interesting. Cafe food is cheap but unremarkable. Not really a big must-see, though there's worse.

Member Rating: 2.2
Ratings details: Experience: 2.0 Ease: 3.0 Value: 2.0 Don't Miss: 2.0

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