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
Location
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Images of England Project
- Date:
- 2001-09-04
- Reference:
- IOE01/03604/01
- Rights:
- © Mr G.W. Garthwaite. Source: Historic England Archive
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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
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
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.
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
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.
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.
Map
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 07-Jun-2026 at 09:59:56.
Download a full scale map (PDF)End of official list entry
All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.