St George's Church, Hanover Square

St George's Church was built in the early eighteenth century as part of an ambitious, yet ultimately unsuccessful, government project to construct fifty new churches across London. When the site was consecrated in 1725, the area was still so rural that hunters could shoot woodcock in the nearby fields. General William Steuart, who donated the land, kicked off the construction in 1721 by striking the foundation stone with a mallet and pouring out a libation of wine, asking the Lord to preserve the building. Today, the church is recognized for its grand classical facade, which was the first in London to feature a large portico supported by six massive Corinthian columns.