Poster artwork; St Margaret's Church; Westminster, by Adrian Allinson, 1937

In 1937, London Transport commissioned eight paintings for coronation sightseers. They depicted corners of Greater London associated with celebrated historical figures. St Margaret's Church in Westminster, the parish church of the House of Commons, was painted by the prolific artist Adrian Allinson. A sightseer might easily overlook this church, dwarfed by its proximity to Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament. However, in this painting those towering landmarks are reduced to distant shadows. St Margaret's, which extends up out of the frame, provides a strong physical and symbolic backdrop to the daily comings and goings of London life in the 1930s. The series of paintings, known as the 'Shrines of the Empire', were printed in limited numbers and each sold for a shilling. 'St Margaret's Church, Westminster' also appeared in an Underground poster advert that year.