Renewing one of Britain’s busiest churches

Situated on the corner of Trafalgar Square in London, St Martin-in-the-Fields is one of the best known and busiest churches in Britain. Originally built in the thirteenth century in the fields between Westminster and London, the current listed complex was completed in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. However, by the end of the twentieth century its fast-decaying buildings were being used for a variety and intensity of uses for which they were never intended. This paper describes the challenging £36 million project to renew the church’s fabric and facilities for the next century. It focuses on the civil and structural engineering aspects of the recently completed scheme, which was implemented while keeping the church and all of its many functions operational.