St Mary le Strand, Westminster

St Mary le Strand stands on a former traffic island beside King’s College London, at the eastern end of the Strand in Westminster. Built in the early 18th century as part of the Queen Anne churches programme, it replaced an earlier church pulled down for Somerset House. The site once held a maypole used for May Day festivities before the new church rose. James Gibbs designed the building as his first major work after returning from Italy. The steeple was finished in 1717 and the church consecrated in 1724 by the Bishop of London. The church is the official place of worship for the Women’s Royal Naval Service and holds a book of remembrance for those lost at sea. Bonnie Prince Charlie is said to have renounced his Catholic faith here during a secret visit. Charles Dickens’s parents were married in the building in 1809. In 1871 Robert Jewell Withers removed the old box pews and created the scrolling benches and tiled floors seen today. The Church Times praised the restoration of the nave and chancel ceilings and walls after earlier alterations. Inside, the white-and-gold plaster ceiling and rich Baroque ornamentation draw the eye. The porch echoes Roman models, while the steeple reflects Sir Christopher Wren’s influence. The ground floor has no windows to keep out traffic noise from the Strand. The church survived 20th-century plans to demolish it and damage from a wartime bomb. Graves once beside the building now lie in Brookwood Cemetery.