News
TRH attend a service at St Martin-in-the-Fields to mark the refurbishment of the famous church
27th April 2008
The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall today attended a service to mark the refurbishment of one of London’s most famous churches.
Their Royal Highnesses were joined by The Archbishop of Canterbury, The Bishop of London, and other dignitaries at the service which marked the re-opening of St-Martin-in-the-Fields in Trafalgar Square.
The Prince, who is Patron of the St Martin-in-the-Fields Development Trust, last visited the church to hear about plans for the regeneration in March 2004. Today, His Royal Highness helped to lay a granite slab as part of the re-opening ceremony.
The 18th Century landmark church has undergone a two-year £36million renovation, during which much of its historic exterior has been hidden behind hoardings.
Their Royal Highnesses were greeted by applause from more than 200 well-wishers who had gathered at the church.
They then took their places in the pews for a service to celebrate the refurbishment of the building.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, read to the congregation during the service which was also attended by former Prime Minister Sir John Major.
The Duchess, dressed in an airforce blue dress and matching hat, chatted to members of the development trust who had helped restore the building.
The Prince then laid a granite slab at the base of the building's new pavilion during a "topping out" ceremony.
Work on the church benefited from a £15.35million award from the Heritage Lottery Fund. In addition to this the project received significant contributions from donors in the United States, and from Hong Kong, reflecting the church's importance to the Chinese community.
The restoration project included cleaning and renewing the church as well as provision of facilities for visitors, music, parish and upgraded facilities for homeless people who use the church.
The church's commitment to tackling homelessness was formalised with the foundation of the Social Service Unit in 1948. The work continues today through The Connection at St Martin's, which cares for around 7,500 individuals each year.
Work on the church is expected to be finally completed in the next couple of months.
Reverend Nicholas Holtam, the Vicar of St Martins-in-the-Fields said he was delighted that all the work was nearly complete.
He said: "This is the summation and culmination of a huge amount of work that has been running for 10 years, we've had the builders on site for two and a bit years, so it is great to be nearing the end."
He said that The Prince had worked very closely on the project since its inception.
Rev Holtam said it was extremely important that the building work had been carried out on the church as it was the "spiritual focus" of Trafalgar Square.
John Anderson, Chairman of St Martin-in-the-Fields Building Renewal Project Limited said: "A lot of hard work has gone into this, it's a great day for celebration."
Later, The Prince will host a reception at Clarence House to mark the fifth anniversary of the British Memorial Garden in New York, which honours the British victims of the World Trade Centre attacks on September 11, 2001.
Around 100 people are expected to attend the reception, including some of the victims' families, as well as the American ambassador to London, Robert Tuttle.