What to look for

THE  FONT  under the organ gallery is inscribed in Greek: NIYON ANEMHMA MH MONAN OYIN = 'cleanse my sin not only my face'. The palindrome (reading the same backwards and forwards) is found in several other English and European churches. The carved oak cover hangs on a counterweight. The pedestal is wood painted to simulate stone.

THE  PELICAN   IN   HER  PIETY nearby is a parable in nature. As she feeds her young with blood drawn from her breast, so Jesus feeds his church with his body in the Eucharist.

THE ORGAN  dates back to 1848 and originally was by Theordore Bates of Ludgate Hill, restored by N P Mander in 1956. It has two manuals and pedals.

THE c17 BREADSHELVES  came from St Mary Magdelene Old Fish Street. After morning service bread given by more wealthy parishioners would be placed on the shelves for the poor of the parish to collect. (NB - the current bread is fake !)

THE  PAINTING  on the left side of the sanctuary wall is after Raphael - possibly by R Browne, 1720, and came from St Mary Magdelene.

THE  PULPIT is original to the church from 1680, and has recently been restored. 

THE  PAINTING  over the altar shows Christ in Majesty, possibly a copy of an old Italian master, c1900.

THE  REREDOS behind the altar is also original to the church with the Lord's prayer, the Ten Commandments and the Creed. Above, God's name is written in Greek and Latin.

THE THREE PAINTINGS to the right of the altar depict the patron saints of the three united parishes of St Martin-within-Ludgate - St Mary Magdelene Old Fish Street and St Gregory by St Paul's. They were painted about 1900 by a Belgian artist. The picture of Saint Martin is a copy of a Van Dyke at Windsor.

THE DOUBLE CHURCHWARDENS' CHAIR is a curiosity, bearing the initial of the churchwardens of 1690.

THE SWORD  REST is in wrought iron, 16th century, and from St Mary Magdelene.

THE WOODEN  DOORCASES are by 16th century craftsmen, but in spite of their quality and the inclusion of Grinling Gibbons' trade mark of an open pea pod they are probably not by him.

THE LARGE CENTRAL BRASS CHANDELIER came from St Vincent's Cathedral in the West Indies, c 1777, but how or why did it arrive at St Martin's ?