St John the Baptist Church in Wimbledon celebrates 150 years
St John the Baptist Church in Wimbledon celebrates 150 years
By Ursula Edwards
This impressive Victorian building (Grade 2 listed) was built to meet the needs of the fast-growing population of Wimbledon and consecrated on November 2nd 1875. It was one of the first churches to be designed by the late Victorian architect, Thomas Jackson, who was soon to be renowned for his many buildings in Oxford, especially the Examination Schools and the ‘Bridge of Sighs’, one of the most famous sights in the city.
He also designed a large number of buildings in Cambridge and at several schools across the country. He was responsible for preventing Winchester Cathedral from collapsing by sending a diver down into the marshy ground to strengthen the foundations which were sinking into the peat.
In Wimbledon, as well as designing St John the Baptist Church and St Luke’s (1909), he restored St Mary’s (1920) and designed the War Memorial (1921). Between 1885 and 1887 he bought and restored the Jacobean mansion Eagle House and lived there until shortly before he died.
Jackson’s initial plan for St John’s included a tower and spire, but the various underground streams in the area meant that this was too dangerous to build. He took immense trouble over designing not only the structure of St John’s, with its fine pointed barrel roof (which is probably largely responsible for the church’s wonderful acoustics) but also many decorative details, including the pulpit, the font and even the pews. The most ornate aspect of the church is its Italianate floor mosaics in the Chancel and Sanctuary, which were designed in the same tradition as the thirteenth-century Cosmati Great Pavement in Westminster Abbey. The geometric patterns of marble and stone are said to symbolise eternity and the divine.
The space which Jackson created encourages a sense of spirituality without being overawing, which helps to create the warm atmosphere for which the church is known, combining tradition and beautiful music with informality.
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Today, St John’s Church is part of the Wimbledon Team Ministry. It has a very active membership, many of whom are involved with local charities such as Wimbledon Guild and Faith in Action, and the St John’s Community Hall provides a night shelter for a number of homeless people during the winter months. The Hall was rebuilt in 2012 and is in constant use by the local community, as a Montessori Nursery School, for ballet classes, and a wide range of other events.
The church is also valued for its wonderful music programme, including its regular series of lunchtime concerts, accompanied by delicious home-made refreshments. It hosts many of the concerts in the prestigious Wimbledon International Music Festival, and carol services for local schools, as well as lively events for families and children.
Looking to the future, St John’s is aiming to make the building more open, accessible and welcoming. To achieve this, the main priority is to have a WC accessible to all, at the same level as the main church building. The existing toilets are at a lower level, approached only by a narrow staircase or down a steep hill, which is unsafe for wheelchair users, for the elderly and for young children. Thanks to important safeguarding rules, these facilities cannot be accessed when the nursery or other groups are using the hall, which limits our ability to use the church during weekdays. The plan is to build a new welcome area outside the west door, to include two WCs, one fully accessible for those with disabilities. More details about how to support this important project are on the website.
To mark the 150th Anniversary St John’s has published a fascinating history of the church and its development, which is available from the Wimbledon Museum and Wimbledon Books (price £7.50).
On Monday 2nd February there will be a talk about the architect of the Church, Sir Thomas Jackson, given in conjunction with Wimbledon Society by William Whyte, Professor of Social and Architectural History at Oxford. This will take place at St John’s Spencer Hill, SW19 4NZ at 7.00pm, free of charge, with refreshments from 6.30pm. Details of this, the History book and other events are on the website.
