Editing St Martin-in-the-Fields (section)

===Seventeenth century===
By the beginning of the reign of [[James VI and I|James I]], the local population had increased greatly and the congregation had outgrown the building. In 1606 the king granted an acre ( 4,046.86 mts2) of ground to the west of St Martin's Lane for a new churchyard,<ref name=survey/> and the building was enlarged eastwards over the old burial ground, increasing the length of the church by about half.<ref name=hatton>{{cite book| last=Hatton| first=Edward |volume=1| title=A New Picture of London| year=1708| location=London| chapter=St. Martin's Church (in the fields)|pages=340 ''et seq.''}}</ref> At the same time, the church was, in the phrase of the time, thoroughly "repaired and beautified".<ref name=hatton/> Later in the 17th century, capacity was increased by the addition of galleries. The creation of the new parishes of [[St Anne, Soho]], and [[St James, Piccadilly]], and the opening of a chapel in Oxenden Street also relieved some of the pressure on space.<ref name=survey/>

As it stood at the beginning of the 18th century, the church was built of brick, rendered over, with stone facings. The roof was tiled, and there was a stone tower, with buttresses. The ceiling was slightly arched,<ref name=hatton/> supported with what [[Edward Hatton (surveyor)|Edward Hatton]] described as "Pillars of the ''Tuscan'' and Modern Gothick orders".<ref name=hatton/> The interior was wainscotted in oak to a height of {{convert|6|ft|m|abbr=on}}, while the galleries, on the north, south and west sides, were of painted deal.<ref name=hatton/> The church was about {{convert|84|ft|m|abbr=on}} long and {{convert|62|ft|m|abbr=on}} wide. The tower was about {{convert|90|ft|m|abbr=on}} high.<ref name=hatton/>

A number of notables were buried in this phase of the church, including [[Robert Boyle]], [[Nell Gwyn]], [[John Parkinson (botanist)|John Parkinson]] and Sir [[John Birkenhead]].