Church Of St Martin

Church of St Martin, Worcester

Parish church built between 1768 and 1772, designed by architect Anthony Keck. The church was subsequently altered, notably with a new east window added between 1855 and 1862 by Hopkins. It replaces a medieval church that previously stood on the site.

The building is constructed of purple brick laid in Flemish bond with ashlar quoins, bands, architraves and cornice. The roof is slate. The main body is a rectangular preaching box of a single tall storey comprising five bays, with a three-stage west tower attached. A single-storey vestry with one bay projects to the south-east. The plinth is chamfered, and a continuous sill band runs across the building. The angles are marked by quoins.

The north elevation features a projecting stuccoed porch at its centre, approached by a flight of four steps. The porch contains raised-and-fielded-panel double doors with a fanlight in a surround of plain pilasters, frieze and cornice. Blind round-arched openings open to the porch returns. Round-arched windows in quoined surrounds light the main church body, with a frieze and modillion cornice running across. A low coped parapet crowns this elevation. The south side has similar fenestration and embellishments.

The west tower has quoins to its angles. Its lower stage contains a six-panel door with fanlight in plain reveals and timber surround. The upper stage is lit by round-arched belfry openings with imposts, keystones and sills on feet in tooled architraves. A cavetto-moulded cornice and surmounting balustrade with rod-on-vase balusters and angle finials complete the tower.

The east end displays a continuous sill band with two outer round-arched windows flanking a taller central window. This central window has cusped lights and a rose at its head with a border of quatrefoils. A pedimented gable surmounts the east elevation, with an oculus in a quoined surround at its apex.

The interior is derived from Gibbs's St Martin-in-the-Fields. Unfluted Ionic colonnades divide the space into an aisled nave with shallow chancel. Elaborate scrolled corbels surmounted by modillion entablature support the aisle extensions, which have groin vaulting. The nave ceiling is flat with penetrations from the arcades and a central panel with cornice. The chancel features a tall semi-circular arch springing from square pillars with panelled decoration. The arch is inscribed 'worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness'.

A west gallery has chunky rod-on-vase balusters and is accessed by a double eight-raised-and-fielded-panel door. Below runs a panelled dado with two levels of fielded panelling. Pew backs also feature fielded panels, though the pews were probably rearranged in the 19th century. Moulded altar rails and lectern complete the furnishings. The floor is of Minton tile.

Surviving fittings include an octagonal Victorian font and Victorian stained glass depicting the Annunciation (an unusual subject). Monuments from the earlier medieval church remain in situ, including Baroque wall cartouches to William Johnson (died 1711), John Hughes (died 1726), and the Grismond family.

St Martin is one of an important group of four largely eighteenth-century churches in Worcester, the others being the Church of St Swithin on Church Street, the Church of St Nicholas at The Cross, and the Church of All Saints on Broad Street. The towers of these churches, together with Worcester Cathedral and St Andrew's Church Tower on Deansway, form the most significant feature of Worcester's skyline.