St Martin's Church, Gospel Oak facts for kids

The church with its tower before the pinnacles were restored.

St Martin's Church is a special Church of England church located in Gospel Oak, a part of London, England. You can find it on Vicars Road. This church building is very important because it's a Grade I listed site. This means it's considered one of the most important historic buildings in England!

The church was built a long time ago, between 1864 and 1866. It was designed by an architect named Edward Buckton Lamb. Many people thought its design was quite unusual. A famous historian, Nikolaus Pevsner, even called it "the craziest of London’s Victorian churches" because of its unique look! A wealthy person named John Derby Allcroft paid for the entire church to be built. He wanted it to be a special memory for his wife, who had passed away.

The church's tower was once famous for its tall, pointy parts called pinnacles. They made the church look a bit like a fairy-tale castle! Sadly, these pinnacles were damaged during World War II bombings and had to be removed. But don't worry, they were carefully put back in place during restoration work that finished in 2015. Now, the church looks like its original, unique self again.