St John's Church, Wapping, was the

Church of England parish church A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within each Church of England parish (the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative unit; since the 19th century sometimes ...

Wapping Wapping () is an area in the borough of Tower Hamlets in London, England. It is in East London and part of the East End. Wapping is on the north bank of the River Thames between Tower Bridge to the west, and Shadwell to the east. This posit ...

, formerly in

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, former county in South East England, now mainly within Greater London. Its boundaries largely followed three rivers: the River Thames, Thames in the south, the River Lea, Le ...

and now part of

east London East London is the part of London, England, east of the ancient City of London and north of the River Thames as it begins to widen. East London developed as London Docklands, London's docklands and the primary industrial centre. The expansion of ...

. Built in the 18th century, the church was bombed during World War II, although the tower remains an important local landmark. The church is a

Grade II In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

listed building.

History

St John's Church was originally built as a

chapel-of-ease A chapel of ease (or chapel-of-ease) is a church architecture, church building other than the parish church, built within the bounds of a parish for the attendance of those who cannot reach the parish church conveniently, generally due to trav ...

Whitechapel Whitechapel () is an area in London, England, and is located in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is in east London and part of the East End of London, East End. It is the location of Tower Hamlets Town Hall and therefore the borough tow ...

in 1615-17 and became the

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...

when Wapping was constituted as a separate parish by the ( 5 & 6 Will. & Mar. c. ''20'' ). This makes it the oldest church in Wapping. The present remains date to 1756, when the church was rebuilt by Joel Johnson, who had trained as a carpenter. The church was bombed in

WWII World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, with only a fragmentary rectangular shell remaining. The tower was restored in 1964 by the

London County Council The London County Council (LCC) was the principal local government body for the County of London throughout its existence from 1889 to 1965, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today ...

and the remainder converted into flats in the 1990s. Further traces of the 18th century neighbourhood remain nearby. Opposite, the former churchyard abuts the former dock wall. It was made into a public park in 1951, but still contains chest tombs to the Staple children, , and to John Robinson, . Adjoining the church is St John's Old School, founded for the new parish and rebuilt together with the church in 1756.

Architecture

The tower has a continental-looking lead top and, above the clock stage, a concave receding stage and then a

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

cupola. The new outer walls are brick with quoins.

Current use

Starting in July 2023, there have been regular services in the chapel at the base of the bell tower.

Popular culture

St John's Church features in Season 4, Episode 23 of

Friends ''Friends'' is an American television sitcom created by David Crane (producer), David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, lasting List of Friends episodes, ten seasons. With an ensemble cast ...

, "

The One with Ross's Wedding "The One with Ross's Wedding" is the two-part fourth-season finale of the American television sitcom ''Friends'', comprising the 96th and 97th episodes of the series overall. Originally broadcast by NBC on May 7, 1998, the episode features Ross ...

". In that episode, Ross, Monica, and Emily approach a dilapidated church, where Ross and Emily are meant to be married, but are shocked to find that it is a building site, with the church in the process of being demolished. The exterior of St John's Church is visible in the scene, although it is unlikely that the subsequent wedding was filmed onsite.

References

{{reflist Former churches in London

Churches bombed by the Luftwaffe in London Church of England church buildings in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets