St John's Church, Wapping

St John's Church, Wapping, was the Church of England parish church in Wapping, formerly in Middlesex and now part of east London. 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 listed building.^[1]

St John's Church, Wapping
Tower of St John's Church, Wapping
51°30′14.5″N 0°03′40.4″W
Country	United Kingdom
Denomination	Church of England
Architecture
Years built	1756

History

Act of Parliament
Parliament of England
Long title	An Act for erecting a new Parish, to be called the Parish of St. John of Wapping, in the County of Middl'x.
Citation	5 & 6 Will. & Mar. c. 20
Dates
Royal assent	16 April 1694

St John's Church was originally built as a chapel-of-ease^[2] to Whitechapel in 1615-17 and became the parish church when Wapping was constituted as a separate parish in 1694.^[3] This makes it the oldest church in Wapping.^[4] The present remains date to 1756, when the church was rebuilt by Joel Johnson, who had trained as a carpenter.^[5] The church was bombed in WWII, with only a fragmentary rectangular shell remaining. The tower was restored in 1964 by the London County Council and the remainder converted into flats in the 1990s.^[5]

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, c. 1730, and to John Robinson, c. 1750.^[5] Adjoining the church is St John's Old School, founded c. 1695 for the new parish and rebuilt together with the church in 1756.^[6]

Architecture

The tower has a continental-looking lead top and, above the clock stage, a concave receding stage and then a Baroque 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, "The One with Ross's Wedding". 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.^[7]

References

1. "St John's Church".
2. Holmes, Isabella M. (1896). The London Burial Grounds.
3. Tames, Richard (2013). The East End. Historical Publications. p. 172. ISBN 9781905286355.
4. Leigh, Martha (2008). Memories of Wapping. The History Press. p. 116. ISBN 9780752447094.
5. Cherry, O'Brien and Pevsner (2005). London 5: East. New Haven and London: Yale University Press. p. 508. ISBN 9780300107012.
6. Cherry, O'Brien, Pevsner (2005). London 5: East. Yale University Press. p. 509. ISBN 9780300107012.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
7. "Where is Friends filmed?".