St John's Notting Hill is a Victorian

Anglican church Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

built in 1845 in Lansdowne Crescent,

Notting Hill Notting Hill is a district of West London, England, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Notting Hill is known for being a wikt:cosmopolitan, cosmopolitan and multiculturalism, multicultural neighbourhood, hosting the annual Notting ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

,St John's Church Notting Hill
LondonTown.com. designed by the architects John Hargrave Stevens (1805/06–1857) and George Alexander (1810–1885), and built in the

Victorian Gothic Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...

style. Dedicated to

St John the Evangelist John the Evangelist ( – ) is the name traditionally given to the author of the Gospel of John. Christians have traditionally identified him with John the Apostle, John of Patmos, and John the Presbyter, although there is no consensus on h ...

, the church was originally built as the centrepiece of the Ladbroke Estate, a mid nineteenth century housing development designed to attract upper- and upper middle-class residents to what was then a largely rural neighbourhood in the western suburbs of London.

History and origins

In 1821

James Weller Ladbroke James Weller Ladbroke (died 16 March 1847) was a nineteenth-century landowner and the principal developer of the Ladbroke Estate, a substantial parcel of land in Notting Hill, London, England. Many streets in Notting Hill still bear the Ladbroke n ...

(died 1847) and his architect

Thomas Allason Thomas Allason (1790–1852) was an English architect, surveying, surveyor and landscaper, noted in particular for his work at Connaught Square and the Ladbroke Estate in Kensington. Early life Allason was born in London, England, in 1790. H ...

(1790–1852) began to plan an estate on land which now spans the southern end of

Ladbroke Grove Ladbroke Grove ( ) is a road in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England, which passes through Kensal Green and Notting Hill, running north–south between Harrow Road and Holland Park Avenue. It is also the name of the sur ...

. From 1837 to 1841 a significant part of this land was used as the

Hippodrome Hippodrome is a term sometimes used for public entertainment venues of various types. A modern example is the Hippodrome which opened in London in 1900 "combining circus, hippodrome, and stage performances". The term hippodroming refers to fr ...

race-course. The hill that is now surmounted by St John's was used by spectators as a natural grandstand to view the races. The Hippodrome was not however a financial success, and by 1843 it had closed, the circular racecourse soon to be replaced by crescents of stuccoed houses.Official website of St John's Notting Hill official website
Retrieved February 11, 2010. St John's Church, now a Grade II listed building, forms the high point and centrepiece of the Ladbroke estate, and is dedicated to

. It was built to accommodate a congregation of 1,500, and was designed in the

Early English style English Gothic is an architectural style that flourished from the late 12th until the mid-17th century. The style was most prominently used in the construction of cathedrals and churches. Gothic architecture's defining features are pointed a ...

, the spire being notably similar in design to that of St Mary's Church in

Witney Witney is a market town on the River Windrush in West Oxfordshire in the county of Oxfordshire, England. It is west of Oxford. History The Toponymy, place-name "Witney" is derived from the Old English for "Witta's island". The earliest kno ...

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire ( ; abbreviated ''Oxon'') is a ceremonial county in South East England. The county is bordered by Northamptonshire and Warwickshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the east, Berkshire to the south, and Wiltshire and Glouceste ...

. The architecture of St John's contrasts with the classical style of neighbouring St Peter's, built a decade later. Money was raised by private subscription, in particular by means of two substantial loans of £2,000, one from Viscount Canning and one from entrepreneur Charles Blake, who also helped to finance St Peter's.Denny, p69 Work on St John's was begun on 8 January 1844, when the foundation stone was laid by the Ven John Sinclair, Vicar of Kensington from 1842 to 1875, and

Archdeacon of Middlesex The Archdeacon of Middlesex is a senior cleric in the Church of England, co-responsible for the Archdeaconry of "Middlesex", which mirrors the "Kensington" episcopal area of the Diocese of London — the other person responsible being the Bis ...

. During Sinclair's long incumbency (1842–1875), 19 parish churches were built in

Kensington Kensington is an area of London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, around west of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up by Kensingt ...

, of which St John's was the first. It was consecrated by Dr

Charles James Blomfield Charles James Blomfield (29 May 1786 – 5 August 1857) was a British divine and classicist, and a Church of England bishop for 32 years. Early life and education Charles James Blomfield was born in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, the eldest son (an ...

, Bishop of London, on 29 January 1845. Due to its rural location, the church was initially known as "St John in the Hayfields".

St John's today

The present vicar is the Reverend William Taylor. St John's plays an active role in the life of the local community. Among the many community events organised around the church is the annual May Fair. This is a popular family event, held on the second or third Saturday of the month, with stalls selling bric-a-brac, vintage jewellery, home-made cakes and jams, books, toys and plants. There is also a raffle and tombola. Children's activities include a bouncy castle, face painting, a coconut shy, candy floss, a cake decorating stall, Beat-the-Goalie and a Fancy Dress Competition, with judging at 3.30pm. Food and drink are also on sale with a barbecue outside, a

Pimms Pimm's is an English brand of gin-based fruit cup but may also be considered a liqueur or the basis of a sling or punch. It was first produced in 1823 by James Pimm and has been owned by Diageo since 1997. Its most popular product is Pim ...

stall, and traditional tea, cakes and sandwiches sold downstairs in the crypt. The annual May Fair forms a part of the larger Notting Hill MayfestNotting Hill Mayfest
, St John's Notting Hill, London, UK. Every Thursday from 1–2pm, the church hosts free classical chamber music recitals, organized by local record label Music Chamber. Visitors may also enjoy free coffee, tea and biscuits. There is generally a retiring collection at the end of the recital.

Gallery

File:Memorial to Phillip Edward Webb.jpg, Memorial to Phillip Edward Webb, East Transept File:St Johns Notting Hill.JPG, St Johns Notting Hill spire

References

Bibliography

* Barbara Denny, ''Notting Hill and Holland Park Past'', Historical Publications, 1993. .

External links

St John's Notting Hill websiteSt John's Notting Hill Mayfest websiteNotting Hill Mayfest website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint John's Notting Hill

Buildings and structures in Notting Hill

History of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Diocese of London 1845 establishments in England