St Mary le Strand

St Mary le Strand sits as a striking example of English Baroque architecture right in the middle of the Strand. This church was the very first building project commissioned under the Fifty New Churches Act of 1711, an ambitious plan to accommodate London's growing population. Its architect, a young Scot named James Gibbs, had recently returned from training in Rome, and he poured that Italian influence into the design. You can see his vision in the intricate, multi-tiered spire and the elaborate exterior columns that define the building's silhouette today.