St John's Church, Waterloo facts for kids

Quick facts for kids St John's Church, Waterloo
St John's Church in 2010
Location	Waterloo Road, London
Country	United Kingdom
Denomination	Church of England
Churchmanship	Liberal Catholic
History
Status	Active
Founded	1822
Dedication	St John the Evangelist
Dedicated	3 November 1824
Architecture
Functional status	Parish church
Architect(s)	Francis Bedford
Years built	1822–1824
Administration
Parish	Waterloo, St. John with St. Andrew
Deanery	Lambeth North
Archdeaconry	Archdeaconry of Lambeth
Episcopal area	Kingston Episcopal Area
Diocese	Diocese of Southwark

St John's Church, Waterloo, is an Anglican church in South London. It was built between 1822 and 1824. The church was designed by Francis Octavius Bedford. It is dedicated to St John the Evangelist. It is part of a combined church group with St Andrew's, Short Street.

Where is St John's Church?

The church is in Waterloo. It is across from the London IMAX cinema. It is also near Waterloo station. The Waterloo campus of King's College London is also close by.

In 1818, after the Napoleonic Wars, many people were moving to cities. Parliament decided to spend a lot of money to build new churches. This was especially true in London. About £64,000 was set aside for the area of Lambeth in 1822. It was decided that a new church should be built near Waterloo Bridge. The land for the church was bought from the Archbishop of Canterbury.

History of the Church

The Church of St John was designed by the architect Francis Octavius Bedford. It was completed in 1824. Bedford designed three other churches in a similar style. This style is called Greek Revival. It was inspired by ancient Greek buildings. Bedford was a scholar who studied Greek history.

The south face of the Church of Saint John

At the time, some people didn't like the Greek style for churches. They preferred the Gothic style. However, St John's Church was often praised. People especially liked its tall spire. It used classical Greek details but still looked like a traditional English church.

The ground where the church was built was very wet and swampy. It even had a pond! Experts were asked how to build on such soft ground. They suggested using strong wooden poles, called piles, under all the walls. This idea worked very well. Even after being badly damaged by bombs and left open for ten years, the walls were still strong. They could be used again when the church was rebuilt.

The Churchyard Garden

The churchyard around St John's was turned into a garden in 1877. In 1883, Lord Brabazon helped create a children's playground there. It had swings and other equipment. Over the years, the garden became overgrown. But it has since been restored. The playground equipment is no longer there.

Bombing and Rebuilding

The church was damaged by a bomb in 1940 during World War II. The roof and much of the inside were destroyed. Church services were then held in the crypt, which is an underground room. The church was known as St John's-in-the-crypt for ten years.

In 1950, the church was restored and redesigned inside by Thomas Ford. In 1951, it was rededicated as the Festival of Britain Church. This was a big event celebrating British achievements.

Thomas Ford made many changes inside the church. He removed the upper seating areas called galleries. He added new decorations with Greek patterns. He used gold and light pastel colours. A large painting, called a mural, by Hans Feibusch was added. It replaced an older painting that was damaged. Two paintings by David Morris were also displayed. They showed scenes from the Bible with views of Waterloo Bridge. These changes made the inside of the church look very different.

The church organ was built in 1824. It was badly damaged in the bombing. It was repaired in 1951. The church also has a set of 8 bells. They were all made in 1825.

Underground Challenges

When the Jubilee line of the London Underground was being built, the ground under the church started to dry out. This could have made the church unstable. The church was still supported by the piles put in place in 1824. Millions of gallons of water had to be pumped into the foundations. This prevented the church from collapsing.

The church had a big restoration project in 2021–22. This work focused on the main part of the church and the crypt. Some people disagreed with the plans. They felt some changes would remove important parts of Thomas Ford's design. After discussions, the work was carried out with some changes. The Feibusch mural was carefully restored. However, the Morris paintings were removed. We don't know where they are now.

St John's Church Today

Today, St John's Church is a busy and diverse church. It has strong connections with the local community. Every June, it hosts the popular Waterloo Festival. It is also home to The Bridge at Waterloo. The church also has a large and thriving garden.

The church has a choir led by Euchar Gravina. It also hosts the Okusinza Church. This is a church that uses the Luganda language and has many members from Uganda. St John's Church also strongly supports Fairtrade products. There are stalls outside the church selling these items every weekday. There is also a Food Court.

List of Vicars

† Vicar died in post