St Martin-in-the-Fields
The famous church on the corner of Trafalgar Square, free to enter, with a striking modern altar window, a crypt cafe in the vaults and some of the best free lunchtime music in London.
The lowdown
St Martin-in-the-Fields stands on the corner of Trafalgar Square, its elegant spire and portico one of the most copied church designs in the world. It is free to walk into, and inside is a calm, light interior with a striking modern east window, a simple oval of clear glass with a distorted cross at its centre.
The church is famous for music, and it runs a long-standing programme of free lunchtime concerts, often young professional musicians, that anyone can drop into. Evening concerts by candlelight are ticketed, but the daytime recitals are a genuine free treat in the heart of the West End.
Down in the vaults the Cafe in the Crypt sits among old gravestones, and the church has a proud history of social work with the homeless. Between the music, the architecture and the atmosphere, it is one of central London's most rewarding free stops.
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