St John's Church, Stratford facts for kids
St John's Church, also known as the Church of Saint John the Evangelist, is a historic church located in Stratford, London. It stands right on Stratford Broadway, which is the main street in the area.
Contents
A Look Back in Time
What Was Here Before?
Before St John's Church was built, this spot was home to a special kind of prison called a "Forest Prison." This prison held people who had broken rules related to the Royal Forest of Waltham, which we now call Epping Forest. The prison was built around 1620 and stayed there until 1827.
Building the Church
The church itself was constructed between 1832 and 1834. It was designed by an architect named Edward Blore. He used a style called "Early English," which is a type of Gothic architecture, and built it with grey bricks.
One of the most striking parts of the church is its tall tower, which has three sections. On top of the tower is a pointed spire, held up by special supports called flying buttresses. St John's Church is considered a Grade II Listed building, meaning it's an important historical structure.
Why Was It Built?
St John's was first built as a "chapel of ease." This meant it was a smaller church created to make it easier for people to worship without having to travel all the way to the older, main church, All Saints West Ham. In 1844, St John's Stratford became its own separate church area, known as an ecclesiastical parish.
A famous person, the poet Gerard Manley Hopkins, was baptised here as a baby in August 1844.
Changes and Memories
Parish Boundaries and New Churches
Over the years, parts of St John's church area were separated to create new parishes for other churches. For example, in 1865, a section became the parish for St Paul's Church, Stratford. Later, in 1881, another part of St John's parish joined with sections from All Saints and Emmanuel Church to form a new parish for St James' Church, Forest Gate.
Important Memorials
The naturalist and social reformer Antonio Brady was buried in the churchyard in 1881. A new part of the church, called the chancel, was added in 1884 to remember him. In 1879, a memorial was also placed in the churchyard to honor the Stratford Martyrs, who were people who died for their beliefs a long time ago.
World War II and Beyond
During World War II, the church's underground area, called the crypt, was used as an air raid shelter to keep local people safe from bombs. Even though the church itself was damaged by bombs, it continued to serve the community. In 1961, St John's took over the parish of another church, Christ Church, Stratford, which was no longer in use. A new addition was built onto St John's in 1998.
Music in the Crypt
Between 1988 and 1994, the church's crypt became a special place for a music group called Bark Psychosis. They used the crypt to practice their music and even recorded some of their songs there. Their first single, Scum (released in 1992), and their first album, Hex (released in 1994), were both recorded in this unique space.
