PRESS RELEASE
Service of Rededication Marks Completion of £5.5 Million Restoration
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, visited St John’s Waterloo on Sunday to lead a Service of Rededication as a £5.5 million restoration of this 1826 Grade II* historic London church was completed and the church made ready to reopen this week (From Wednesday 5th October). St John’s, built to serve a growing population of working people in Waterloo, is today known as one of the most inclusive churches in London. It is also a well-known concert venue and home to the Waterloo Festival, and for many years has been a centre of support for people experiencing homelessness. But before the restoration, its nave was a vast open space without focus, its decoration was drab, light was poor and its important altarpiece murals by German Jewish refugee artist Hans Feibusch, done in 1951, were in a perilous state. Down below, the crypt was a maze of dark, damp rooms and semi-derelict spaces. Now that world-class Eric Parry Architects has transformed the church, St John’s future is assured. It can continue to be a place of worship and spiritual enrichment and it can play a leading role in the social, cultural and charitable life of Waterloo and the wider city of London. It is also now one of the best new performance and event spaces in South London.
Rededication of St John’s Waterloo with The Most Revd. Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury (right). Marking the doors with a sign of the cross. October 2, 2022. Photo Copyright: Eleanor Bentall Tel: 07768 377413 NB: ANY REPRODUCTION TO BE NEGOTIATED WITH PHOTOGRAPHER BEFORE USE
The project has preserved both the original Greek Revival style 19th century architecture of Francis Bedford and the 20th century changes made when the church was restored following wartime bombing and rededicated as the official church of the Festival of Britain.
The remodelling of the entrance making the nave immediately visible from the street, the single doorway for all users emphasising an equal and inclusive welcome for all, the installation of a lift making the crypt fully accessible for the first time, and the priority given to energy efficiency including 80 new solar panels on the roof – St John’s can now live out its commitment to social justice and its ambition to be “here for you” for everyone, whatever their needs in the heart of our busy city for the century to come.
The Service of Rededication led by the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby on Sunday (2nd October) was attended by some 250 people from across South London. Among them were the Leader of Lambeth Council, Cllr Claire Holland, Christopher Wellbelove Deputy Lieutenant for Lambeth, the Bishop of Kingston Richard Cheetham, and Simon Gates Archdeacon of Lambeth.
We are honoured that the Archbishop came to St John’s to help us launch an important new era in the life of our church. Today we welcomed all who have worked so long and so hard to see through this monumental challenge: the architects, builders, surveyors, engineers, craftspeople, sustainable energy experts, painting conservators and technicians, and the trusts, foundations and donors who believed in our vision. Above all, we gave thanks for our generous, inclusive congregation. It was their desire for a church that played a full role in its community that kept us going and brought us to this day.
This is the second time St John’s has transformed itself to bring hope after a period of national despair. During the Second World War, a firebomb fell through the roof but in 1951 the church was rebuilt to be the official church of the Festival of Britain. Now, as it reopens in these post-pandemic times, St John’s is a place where relationships are being rebuilt and community strengthened.
Rededication of St John’s Waterloo with The Most Revd. Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury. Sermon. October 2, 2022. Photo Copyright: Eleanor Bentall Tel: 07768 377413 NB: ANY REPRODUCTION TO BE NEGOTIATED WITH PHOTOGRAPHER BEFORE USE
I am delighted that the council has been able to significantly contribute to the restoration of this historic listed church in our borough. St. John’s has a long and proud history in our local community and to see this impressive project completed is a testament to the hard work and efforts of all involved. We were particularly keen to support this restoration as it features a major new installation of solar panels which now provide enough power to offset energy use in the crypt and to light the nave, contributing towards our shared commitment to achieve net zero carbon by 2030. We are working hard with partners to transform our borough so it is fit for a net-zero future to benefit all our communities, and projects such as this play a vital role in achieving this.
Also present was Eric Parry, whose firm Eric Parry Architects has led the restoration. Its award-winning previous commissions include the renewal of St Martin-in-the-Fields. David Norman represented the contractor Buxton Building, whose past projects include several cathedrals and many listed buildings.
The full glory of St John’s architectural transformation will be revealed when the church officially opens to the public on Wednesday 5th October. Members of the public will be welcome to visit 9am-5pm Monday – Friday and for services on Sundays as well as for a new year-round social and cultural events programme which over the next few weeks includes classical concerts by world-class and young competition winners, discussions on press freedom and women journalists under threat, new LGBTQIA+ services and an exhibition on 1970s community action in SE1.
The church has begun a new lease of life. It’s wonderful to see. Already, local people and the church congregation are discovering new ways to make it a place of welcome and discovery. We’re grateful to all who have had a part in making this project happen and looking forward to the future in which everyone is welcome. Next time you are passing, come and see!
For further information and images, please contact:
comms@stjohnswaterloo.org
07388 381611
NOTE TO EDITORS
Of the £5.5m of funds raised to complete the renovations, more than £1m came from the congregation – a strong indication of local support for the project. Other major grants came from the London Borough of Lambeth, the Big Lottery Reaching Communities Fund and The Mayor of London’s Good Growth Fund. Lambeth Council’s £800,000 grant was money channelled from developers in the borough to support local community infrastructure projects that benefit local people
The solar panel project was made possible by a grant of £30,000 from the Mayor’s London Community Energy Fund. The rest was made up by many other trusts, foundations and individual donors.
