St John’s Smith Square, London, SW1P 3HA
St Johns Smith Square is a unique concert venue in the centre of London. This converted 18th century church is a masterpiece of English Baroque style and has exceptional acoustics, making it a favourite for national and international singers, musicians and chamber ensembles. It is currently the home of the Southbank Sinfonia. St John’s was designed and built by Thomas Archer. It was completed in 1728 and operated as a parish church for the next 200 years. It was bombed in 1942 and left in ruins until restored to its present glory in the late 1960s. Dame Joan Sutherland, Richard Bonynge performed at the inaugural concert. Since then, St. John’s has presented some of the finest classical concerts including World Premiers by Tippet, Boulez, Birtwistle and Aaron Copeland. World renown performers include Placido Domingo, Teresa Berganza, Philip Glass, Nigel Kennedy and a young Sir Simon Rattle.73 Waterloo Rd, London SE1 8TY
St John the Evangelist Waterloo was completed in 1824 to designs by Francis Bedford in the Greek Revival style. During the early 20th century, the interior was remodeled by the great church architects of the day Arthur Blomfield, J. J. Stevenson, and Ninian Comper. The church was named the official church of the 1951 Festival of Britain and has remained a place to encounter the arts, society and faith ever since. Look out for the two amazing murals by Hans Feibusch which replaced the east window and the poetry inscription on the garden wall by George Herbert, paid for Octavia Hill, one of the founders of the National Trust. Spring 2022 St. John’s reopened after a major restoration of the nave and crypt resulting in this great landmark church truly fulfilling its promise to be here for the people of London and Waterloo for the century to come.Sloane Square, London
Holy Trinity Church Sloane Square is a London Anglican parish church situated in the heart of Chelsea. It was built between 1888-90 to a striking Arts & Crafts design by the architect John Dando Sedding, who was one of the most prolific and influential ecclesiastical architects of the time. The church’s original benefactors were the 5th Earl of Cadogan and his wife Lady Beatrix, within whose London estate it lies. Poet Laureate, Sir John Betjeman, named it The cathedral of the Arts & Crafts Movement and you will see many examples of art, sculpture and metal work by some of the finest artists and craftsmen of the late 19th century. The first thing that impresses visitors to Holy Trinity is the wealth of stained glass, particularly the great east window designed by Burne-Jones, the largest window William Morris & Company ever made; equally impressive are the windows by William Blake Richmond and Christopher Whall in the North and South aisles respectively. Miraculously all these windows survived the direct hit which destroyed the roof during a bombing raid in the second World War.