New-look St Martin's

The Heritage Lottery Fund provided £15.35m for the restoration project, with the remainder of the £36m coming from private donors Photograph: Lefteris Pitarakis/AP

The East Window, by artist Shirazeh Houshiary, shows the rippled image of a cross as if it were being seen reflected in water Photograph: Christopher Furlong/Getty

The new window was designed by Iranian-born artist Shirazeh Houshiary, pictured here with her husband, architect Pip Horne Photograph: Linda Nylind/Guardian

Since the first world war, St Martin's has been a place of refuge for soldiers and beggars, for whom the 4th-century Roman cavalry officer St Martin of Tours is the patron saint Photograph: Christopher Furlong/Getty

The church was originally designed by Catholic architect James Gibbs and completed in 1726. This is the first time in the church's history that Gibbs's vision has been completely restored Photograph: Lefteris Pitarakis/AP

The Light Well is one of the more dramatic subterranean changes, throwing light into a large public gallery that doubles as a piazza Photograph: Christopher Furlong/Getty

The design by Eric Parry Architects allows space for parish meeting rooms, offices, rehearsal rooms, the Bishop Ho Ming Wah Chinese Community Centre, brass rubbing and the Dick Shepard chapel Photograph: Linda Nylind/Guardian

As vicar of St Martin's, Reverend Nicholas Holtam has overseen the project. Above him, the ornately decorative plaster work on St Martin's ceiling has been restored Photograph: Lefteris Pitarakis/AP