Church of St Mary Le Strand is a Grade I listed building in the Westminster local planning authority area, England. First listed on 24 February 1958. Church. 1 related planning application.

Church of St Mary Le Strand

WRENN ID
carved-transept-furze
Grade
I
Local Planning Authority
Westminster
Constituency
Cities of London and Westminster MP: Rachel Blake (Lab)
Country
England
Date first listed
24 February 1958
Type
Church
Address
Church of St Mary Le Strand, Strand Wc2, City of Westminster, WC2R 1NB
OS grid reference
TQ 307 809
Coordinates
51.5122, -0.11682
Source
Historic England listing

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

Description

The Church of St Mary-le-Strand is a Grade I listed church built between 1714 and 1717 by architect James Gibbs. Constructed from Portland stone, it is notable for its exceptional design on an island site, reflecting Gibbs' firsthand experience of Rome and drawing inspiration from Sir Christopher Wren's work at St Paul's Cathedral. The church features seven bays on its sides, a three-bay west front, and an apsidal east end.

The design includes superimposed orders with Corinthian columns above Ionic ones, which are developed into a bowed porch with a finialed semi-dome on the west front. The central bay is accentuated with pairs of columns and a pediment, while the tower and steeple rise in three diminishing stages. The "ground floor" level on the sides has alternating segmental and triangular pedimented niches, and the upper register features narrow end bays with a Venetian window theme in between. Alternate bays are tabernacled with segmental and triangular pediments against a balustraded parapet topped with urn finials.

Inside, the church has an aisleless layout with the apse framed by superimposed orders of coupled columns. Coupled columns also support a balcony over the west door. The walls are panelled with pilasters in the upper register, and the ceiling is coffered.

Local climate

Church of St Mary Le Strand 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.

More on this building

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  • No EPC on record for this property
  • No sale records on file
  • Related listed building consents — 1 application
  • Detailed attributes — period, style, materials, features
  • Flood risk assessment
  • Radon risk assessment
  • Weather exposure and heating demand — rain and frost month by month and year by year, wind direction, solar and humidity
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