St John the Baptist, Hoxton facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St John's Hoxton |
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| St John the Baptist with Christ Church, Hoxton |
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West door of St John's Hoxton
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| Location | Hoxton, London N1 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Website | stjohnshoxton.org.uk |
| History | |
| Founded | 1826 |
| Founder(s) | The Haberdashers' Company |
| Dedication | St John the Baptist |
| Dedicated | 1826 |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | Francis Edwards |
| Style | Neo-classical |
| Administration | |
| Parish | St John the Baptist with Christ Church, Hoxton |
| Diocese | London |
| Province | Canterbury |
Welcome to St John's Hoxton, also known as the Church of St John the Baptist, Hoxton. It's a special Anglican church located in the Hoxton area of Hackney, in London, UK. This church has a long history and is an important part of its community.
Close by, you'll find Silicon Roundabout, a busy tech area. There are also the Aske Gardens, named after Robert Aske. He was a very generous person from the City who helped the church a lot.
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A Look Back in Time
The church is named after St John the Baptist. This name keeps alive the memory of an old monastery that used to be in the area. King Henry VIII closed this monastery a long time ago.
The kindness of Robert Aske still helps the church and its nearby primary school today. Streets like Haberdasher Street and places like Aske Gardens remind everyone of his original generosity.
In the 1700s, a famous person named John Newton lived in Hoxton Square. He wrote the well-known hymn "Amazing Grace". Also, Mary Wollstonecraft (1759–97), a famous writer and thinker, was born in Hoxton. John Mander, who built organs, lived here too. His son, Noel Mander, later started the company Mander Organs.
During the Victorian times, in London, the church's work was highly praised. People like Charles Booth, who helped many people, noticed how much good the church did. It helped people in a part of the city that was becoming quite difficult to live in. Many church members even became missionaries in Africa and Asia. One of them was Jabez Cornelius Whiteley, who became the first Bishop of Chota Nagpur. His father, Edward Whiteley, was a chaplain at a school nearby. To help the "local poor," the church's first vicar started London's biggest savings bank. He also founded St John's National Schools, which are still doing well in India.
An interesting fact: the great-great-great-grandfather of Kate Middleton (who is now the Princess of Wales), John Goldsmith, got married at St John's Hoxton in 1850.
The current vicar, Reverend Graham Hunter, is also part of the Haberdashers' Company. He works with Dame Sarah Mullally, who is the Bishop of London. Together, they are helping to lead a group that brings faith leaders together to improve health for everyone.
Cool Architecture
St John's was finished in 1826. It's a Regency church built in the classical style. It's the only church designed by the famous architect Francis Edwards. He was a top student of another well-known architect, Sir John Soane. This church is a big example of a Commissioners' church. Its original layout is still the same. It also has special galleries and decorations, including a painted ceiling. This ceiling was created in the early 1900s by architect Joseph Arthur Reeve.
The Amazing Organ
The church has a large pipe organ that was built and put in place in 1915 by Thomas Sidwell Jones. This organ is in the choir gallery. It still has its original old wooden case from the late Georgian period. The front of the organ is very fancy and shows the coat of arms of King William IV.
The organ was last fixed up in 1934 by Henry Speechly & Son. St John's organ is known for having many different sounds, called stops. Here are some of them:
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More to Explore
- Geffrye Museum
- List of churches in the Diocese of London
