Churchyard Walls and Railings Surrounding Church of St Martin in the Fields on North, South, East and West Sides is a Grade I listed building in the Westminster local planning authority area, England. First listed on 1 December 1987. A Early 18th century (original railings c.1726); early 19th century copies c.1830 Churchyard railings.

Churchyard Walls and Railings Surrounding Church of St Martin in the Fields on North, South, East and West Sides

WRENN ID
dreaming-mortar-vetch
Grade
I
Local Planning Authority
Westminster
Constituency
Cities of London and Westminster MP: Rachel Blake (Lab)
Country
England
Date first listed
1 December 1987
Type
Churchyard railings
Period
Early 18th century (original railings c.1726); early 19th century copies c.1830
Address
Churchyard Walls and Railings Surrounding Church of St Martin in the Fields on North, South, East and West Sides, Trafalgar Square Wc2, City of Westminster
OS grid reference
TQ 301 805
Coordinates
51.50906, -0.12642
Source
Historic England listing

Also on this page: EPC · flood risk · radon risk · weather exposure · detailed attributes ↓

Description

The churchyard walls and railings surrounding the Church of St Martin-in-the-Fields are located on the north, south, east, and west sides of Trafalgar Square, WC2. The railings between the columns of the portico date from around 1726, while the other churchyard railings are exact copies from around 1830, made by the London ironfounders Cottam and Hallen. These later railings were cast to match the pattern used for the original 1726 railings. The fine iron railings are set on a Portland stone wall with segmental coping and feature a closely spaced "turned baluster" pattern, complete with cross rails and cone and ball finials. The 1726 railings are depicted in an engraving by R West from 1738, and the 1830 railings were erected to enclose the new churchyard created as part of Nash's West Strand Improvements, which included the construction of Duncannon Street to the south.

Local climate

Churchyard Walls and Railings Surrounding Church of St Martin in the Fields on North, South, East and West Sides sits in one of the driest parts of the UK, with an average of 690 mm of rain a year. This makes it drier than 95% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is lower than that of 98% of listed buildings.

It experiences an average of 35 freeze-thaw cycles a year, more than 57% of listed buildings. Of these, 16 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.

Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.

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Nearby listed buildings

  1. St Martin's Vestry Hall Grade II* 12 m
  2. St Martin in the Fields Secondary School Grade II* 16 m
  3. St Martin's Vicarage Grade II* 24 m
  4. Church of St Martin in the Fields Grade I 31 m
  5. John Law Baker Memorial Drinking Fountain (St Martin in the Fields Churchyard) Grade II 42 m
  6. K6 Telephone Kiosk Grade II 46 m
  7. The Edith Cavell Memorial Grade I 63 m
  8. 44, Chandos Place WC2 Grade II 67 m
  9. 45 and 46, Chandos Place WC2 Grade II 72 m
  10. 31, St Martin's Lane WC2 Grade II* 73 m