The Tower & Spire
The tower was designed by Wren. In 1698–9 the top stage of the tower with large belfry openings and all of the spire were added, this work was probably designed by Robert Hooke. The tower and spire were refurbished, with help from the Heritage Lottery Fund, in 2018.
Hooke was Surveyor to the City of London and chief assistant to Christopher Wren, in which capacity he helped Wren rebuild London after the Great Fire. He also worked on the design of London’s Monument to the fire, the Greenwich Royal Observatory, Montagu House in Bloomsbury, and the Bethlem Royal Hospital. Hooke's collaboration with Christopher Wren also included St Paul’s Cathedral, whose dome uses a method of construction conceived by Hooke. Hooke was also a scientist and mathematician, he was curator of experiments of the Royal Society and Gresham Professor of Geometry. In 1660 Hooke discovered the law of elasticity, known as Hooke’s law.
The stone tower of St Margaret’s rises 5 floors above street level, with a leadwork spire which is an obelisk standing on a domed base, with gilded decorative finial piece and weathervane. The spire is a timber frame, covered by leadwork that is mostly original, dating from 1699. A project to undertake urgent repairs to the leadwork in 2018 has repaired the large sheets to the four sides of the upper dome which had all slipped; the many fixings had also slipped or become loose. During the repair project several examples of graffiti were found, where previous workmen had marked their names, dates and in some cases apotropaic marks. Apotropaic marks are symbols or patterns scratched into the fabric of a building to keep witches out and are also known as witches marks. Whilst the scaffolding was up repairs were also made to the stone work of the tower, the clock was restored and the weathervane, finial and ornamental balls were re-gilded.
Graffiti found on the tower