St. John's Smith Square

St. John's Smith Square, Smith Square, SW1P 3HA

Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places

Overview

Heritage Category:: Listed Building
Grade:: I
List Entry Number:: 1236250
Date first listed:: 24-Feb-1958
List Entry Name:: St. John's Smith Square
Statutory Address:: St. John's Smith Square, Smith Square, SW1P 3HA

User submitted image — Uploaded by Historic England Communications Team This photo may not represent the current condition of the site
View all

Location

Location of this list entry and nearby places that are also listed. Use our map search to find more listed places.

There is a problem

Use of this mapping is subject to terms and conditions.

This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale.

What is the National Heritage List for England?

The National Heritage List for England is a unique register of our country's most significant historic buildings and sites. The places on the list are protected by law and most are not open to the public.

The list includes:

🏠 Buildings
🏰 Scheduled monuments
🌳 Parks and gardens
⚔️ Battlefields
⚓ Shipwrecks

Find out more about listing

Images of England Project

To view this image please use Firefox, Chrome, Safari, or Edge.

Archive image, may not represent current condition of site.

Date:: 2001-09-04
Reference:: IOE01/03604/01
Rights:: © Mr G.W. Garthwaite. Source: Historic England Archive

Historic England Archive

Search over 1 million photographs and drawings from the 1850s to the present day using our images archive.

Find Photos

Official list entry

Heritage Category:: Listed Building
Grade:: I
List Entry Number:: 1236250
Date first listed:: 24-Feb-1958
Date of most recent amendment:: 01-Dec-1987
List Entry Name:: St. John's Smith Square
Statutory Address 1:: St. John's Smith Square, Smith Square, SW1P 3HA

This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.

Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.

For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.

Understanding list entries

Corrections and minor amendments

This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.

For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.

Understanding list entries

Corrections and minor amendments

Location

Statutory Address:: St. John's Smith Square, Smith Square, SW1P 3HA

The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.

County:: Greater London Authority
District:: City of Westminster (London Borough)
Parish:: Non Civil Parish
National Grid Reference:: TQ 30111 79111

Details

This list entry was subject to a Minor Amendment on 13 November 2024 to update the name and address and reformat the text to current standards

TQ3079 SW 101/75

CITY OF WESTMINSTER SMITH SQUARE, SW1 St. John's Smith Square

(Formerly listed as St John's Smith Square Concert Hall, previously listed as Church of St John the Evangelist)

24.2.58

G.V. I

Former parish church, now concert hall. 1713-28 by Thomas Archer, remodelled internally after fire in 1742, burnt out in World War II and restored to its early C.18 state 1965-68 by Marshall Sisson. Portland stone, leaded roofs.

Very bold and typically idiosyncratic Baroque, reflecting Archer's direct experience of continental Baroque. Island site in centre of square. Modified Greek cross with re-entrant angles screened by rusticated convex quadrants; north and south pedimented porticoes, the composition dominated by four unique corner towers. The porticoes, approached by broad flights of steps with retaining walls surmounted by wrought iron lampstandards, have gigantic Tuscan columns in antis and great broken pediments framing columned and pilastered aedicules with their own broken pediments; within porticoes: eared architrave doorways and semicircular arched windows. The east and west ends have giant Venetian windows framed by giant pilasters; attic over with flanking volutes and a broken pediment framing a pedimented attic niche. The towers are circular and pierced with Corinthian columns flanking the openings diagonally, entablature curved out above them and crowning ogee cupolas.

Internally there are lobbies behind the porticoes; the east and west ends are screened by broad arches on giant Corinthian columns and two further pairs of columns stand forward from the curved corners of the nave proper carrying an entablature supporting a barrel vault with a quoin vault over the centre of the nave, reintroducing the Greek cross plan internally; wooden Ionic columns carry galleries behind the giant columns. Renewed plain leaded glass to the windows. Brick groin valuted crypt.

St. John's is the climax of the exceptionally well preserved early C.18 enclave comprising the north side of Smith Square and Lord North, Barton and Cowley Streets q.v.

Listing NGR: TQ3011279110

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:: 427199
Legacy System:: LBS

Legal

This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.