St John’s Wood Church

Taking its name from the Knights Hospitaller of St John of Jerusalem whom owned the land during the Middle Ages, Westminster City Council purchased the land which were to be the Church burial grounds in 1808. In 1814 Thomas Hardwich was employed to design a church to accommodate the growing local population, and the church was completed by May that year. In 1886 the burial ground was closed and in 1952 the Chapel became a parish Church replacing a war damaged St Stephens, Avenue Road. A Regency style building with a porch of four Ionic columns, the interior is plainly decorated in the white and gold style of New England churches. The box pews are original however the stained glass window of St John the was badly damaged during the World War II and never replaced. The church is home to an interesting collection of 19th century funerary monuments, including a number with ties to the East India Company. A statue of St John the Baptist was installed in 1977 in celebration of completing the construction of the new hall complex, designed by Hans Feibusch