CHAPTER 5 - THE CHURCH OF ST. JOHN THE EVANGELIST, WATERLOO ROAD
[See plates 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17 ]
In 1818, when the country was settling down into a period of peace
after the Napoleonic Wars and the population was beginning to expand
rapidly, Parliament decided to allocate a sum not exceeding a million pounds
for the building of additional churches in populous parishes and “more
particularly in the Metropolis and its Vicinity.” (ref. 80)
Of this sum, the Commissioners for Building New Churches appropriated £64,000 in 1822 for
the needs of the parish of Lambeth. It was decided that a new church should
be built on the Waterloo Bridge approach and a piece of ground on the east
side of the road was purchased from the Archbishop of Canterbury and his
lessee and the sublessee, Sir Gilbert East and Mr. Anderson. The ground
was very swampy, consisting in part of a pond, (fn. a) and the advice of John
Rennie was sought as to the most suitable type of foundation. His recommendation that piling should be used under all the walls was adopted with
such success that, after the lapse of 125 years, heavy damage by bombing
and ten years' exposure to the weather, the walls were still strong and sound
enough to be used in the renovated church. In view of the fact that the
church was, in the words of the vestry, “in the more immediate vicinity of the
Metropolis,” a more imposing design was selected than would otherwise
have been chosen. (fn. b) The architect was Francis Bedford, who also designed
the church of St. Mary the Less, Black Prince Road (see p. 144).
St. John's was consecrated by the Bishop of Winchester on 3rd
November, 1824. James Elmes described it in 1827 as having “some
faults and many beauties; the columns of the portico are of the lightest style
of the Doric order, and, though rather effeminate for that masculine order,
are beautifully proportioned and systematically arranged. The portico is
hexastyle and joined to the body of the church, with antique propriety, as a
continuation of the lateral cornice and roof. But all this propriety of annexation and real beauty of proportion is absolutely destroyed by the atrocity of a
steeple, the ugliest perhaps in London, which is straddled a cock-horse
across the pediment.” (ref. 83)
The church was renovated by A. W. (later Sir Arthur) Blomfield in
1885. (ref. 84)
In 1924 Sir Ninian Comper carried out a number of repairs and
alterations to the building. Among other things, the baldachino, shown on
Plate 14, was erected in front of the altar, and the space behind was made
into a Lady Chapel.
The building of a school for boys and girls of the parish was begun
as soon as the church was completed. The school cost just over £2,000, of
which a quarter was contributed from the funds of Lambeth school. The
present schools in Exton Street were built on the same site in 1902.
By the 1840's the district had become so crowded that extra church
accommodation was found necessary. In 1844–6 the Church of All Saints
was built in York Street (fn. c) (now Leake Street) from the designs of William
Rogers. (ref. 85) The new church was
short-lived, for by the end of the
century the site was required for
the extension of Waterloo Station,
and on All Saints' Day, 1899, it
was closed by Act of Parliament
and the parish was reunited with
that of St. John's. (ref. 86) An elaborately
ornamented memorial altar piece
from All Saints' was transferred to
the chapel in York Road which was
taken over as a church hall. This
hall, known later as the White
Horse Club, was taken down in
1950.
The Churchyard
The churchyard on the
south-east side of the church was
made into a garden and opened to
the public in June, 1878. The
watch house at the south-west
corner (Plate 18), erected in 1824,
was demolished in 1932.
Figure 6:
No. 86 Waterloo Road from St. John's Church. Sketch by F. A. Evans, 1949
Three or four large tombs
remain in the part of the churchyard fronting Waterloo Road. Of these
the most prominent is that of the Peache family, erected at the expense of
James Courthope Peache (see p. 48) in 1827. (ref. 87) On the front are his coat of
arms and crest, and on the south side is the inscription—
TO THE MEMORY OF CLEMENT PEACHE ESQRE
DIED OCT 23 1815 ACED 68 YEARS
ALSO ELIZABETH PEACHE HIS WIFE
DIED IAN 31 1830 IN HER 80TH YEAR
ALSO TO THE MEMORY OF IAMES COURTHOPE PEACHE ESQRE
DIED IAN 22 1858 IN HIS 77TH YEAR
ALSO OF ALICE PEACHE HIS WIFE
DIED IAN 1 1859 IN HER 75TH YEAR
The north side of the tomb has a list of James Peache's ten children,
all except two of whom died in infancy or childhood, and it also records the
names of his two sisters and his niece, Mary Peache Larkin.
List of Vicars. 1826, J. T. Barrett; 1830, R. Irvine; 1848, James
Aitken Johnston; 18 71, Hugh Wilson Bateman; 1874, Arthur J. Robinson;
1881, Arthur J. Jephson; 1884, Arthur W. Jephson; 1894, Arthur H.
Powell; 1895, Francis C. Bainbridge-Bell; 1902, Edward G. Gordon;
1921, John Walker Woodhouse; 1925, Charles W. Hutchinson; 1944,
Edwin V. Rhys.
Architectural Description
St. John's Church has a plain rectangular body and is built in stone
and grey brick. It is designed in the style of the Greek Revival and is simple
in treatment with a tower rising behind the portico at the south-west end.
This portico is raised on steps and has six fluted Greek Doric columns
with an entablature and pediment. In the frieze of the entablature are
cast-iron chaplets of myrtle instead of the usual triglyphs and mutules. The
chaplets are spaced over and midway between each of the columns. There is
a continuous band of guttae below the fillet separating architrave and frieze.
The entablatures at the side and back elevations have the same detail.
Within the portico are five openings all of uniform size with double
doors and slightly tapering panelled stone architrave surrounds. The
window above each doorway has a similar surround. A cill band links the
windows, of which only that at the centre, lighting the bellringers' chamber,
is real. The others are false, although all have glazed iron sashes. Of the
doorways, that in the middle serves a lobby leading to the nave while those
on each side of it were planned with access to narrow staircases leading to
galleries for charity children. Each entrance for children has one door and
another identical panel in order to give a uniform appearance. The lobbies,
which are entered through the two doorways nearest the ends of the portico,
serve the aisles and have staircases by which the main galleries were reached.
The charity children's galleries were placed high above each of these lobbies
so as to save space in internal planning.
Each of the north-west and south-east elevations (orientation not
being at the cardinal points) have twelve windows in two rows. Those
above the galleries are rectangular on the exterior, though slightly arched
inside. They reach up to the entablature and are longer than those below,
which are squat in proportion. The lower windows have segmental heads
and their cills are panelled. Both rows have the same kind of stone surrounds
as the openings under the portico. The upper windows are linked by bands
stopping at the corner antae and the antae near the portico which mark the
extent of the entrance lobbies.
The back or north-east elevation has a very austere character with
antae dividing it into three bays. The centre bay contains the window over
the altar which is deeper than the other upper windows and cuts into the
cill band; beneath this window is a plain double-recessed rectangular
panel in brick. Each outer bay has a lower segmental headed window
lighting a vestry and an upper panel which is a blind recess. These are
identical in detail with the windows at the sides. Above the entablature at
this end the pediment containing a small louvred lunette has recently been
rebuilt.
The tower rides above the ridge of the copper roof and is immediately
behind the south-west portico. It is in stone and has three main stages with
a short pedestal stage supporting a
square obelisk.
Of the stages, each of which
is diminishing, the lower is rusticated with clock faces to all four
sides. It has a cornice which com
bines with the double plinth above
to form a base for the middle stage.
This middle or belfry stage, which
contains a peal of eight bells, has
on each elevation a louvred round-headed opening set in recess with
Ionic columns at each side and antae
at the four corners. The entablature
and deep triple plinth or podium
support the upper main stage which
is similar to the belfry stage though
open on all sides. It has gorged
foliated caps of no definite order to
the recesses set between corner antae.
Above the entablature of this
open stage the short pedestal stage,
which has rectangles of carved
honeysuckle ornament to its four
surfaces, carries a square obelisk
with sunk panels terminating in a
ball and cross.
Acroteria of different types
with honeysuckle relief are placed at
the four corners above the cornice
of the pedestal stage and above the
entablatures of the columned stages
below.
Figure 7:
St. John's, Waterloo Road. Doorway to crypt
The church was heavily damaged by enemy action on the night of
Sunday, 8th December, 1940, when a bomb struck the nave roof. Much of
the roof was destroyed and most of the internal fittings and fabric, including
the baldachino, were damaged beyond repair. Although some of the upper
parts of the walls were demolished the tower and portico escaped virtually
unscathed.
The interior of St. John's was designed with the same simplicity of
detail as the exterior. Galleries round three sides of the church were supported
on short Doric columns, while the surfaces between the windows were
relieved by delicate antae of the Ionic order. The antae had honeysuckle
ornament and ran the full height of the hall-like interior. Above them the
same ornament was used as a continuous pattern to the frieze. The ceiling
was flat and divided by beams into panels, each of which had a ceiling rose in
plaster at its centre.
The fittings which escaped destruction include the font which stood
under the west gallery and is now again in use. Both font and cover
are of white marble, the font being urn-shaped with handles in cherubim
form. It probably dates from the early 18th century and is of Italian origin,
having been presented to the church at the time of building. The organ,
which dates from the erection of the church, was built by Bishop. It was
in a plain wood case and stood in the west gallery. It was rebuilt by Hele in
1883. (ref. 7)
After being seriously damaged during the war it is now being
repaired and the case restored to the original design. The stained glass to
the north-east window, designed by N. J. Cottingham, who lived almost
opposite the church at No. 8 6 Waterloo Road, was totally destroyed when the
church was bombed.
Between the square stone piers, which bound the churchyard on
Waterloo Road, are original iron railings and gates, parts of which were
removed for metal salvage during the war. The piers have simple volute frets
to each face and are capped by acroteria which have honeysuckle ornament.
The railings and piers extend as far as the site of the parish watch house,
which stood at the corner of Exton Street. The watch house was a plain
building in brick and stone, and had the upper of its three storeys above a
simple cornice. The cornice was supported by antae at the corners.
For ten years the church stood open to the skies while religious
services were continued in the vaulted crypt. In 1950 restoration work was
commenced to the designs of Mr. Thomas F. Ford so that St. John's could
be used as the Festival Church during 1951.