St John's Notting Hill

St John’s Notting Hill is a Victorian Gothic church built in 1845 on Lansdowne Crescent. Designed by John Hargrave Stevens and George Alexander, it stands at the centre of the Ladbroke Estate, a mid-19th-century housing development meant for upper- and upper-middle-class families. The church was planned as the estate’s focal point, replacing an earlier racecourse that had occupied the hill. Its Early English style contrasts with the classical lines of nearby St Peter’s, built ten years later. The spire echoes the design of St Mary’s Church in Witney, Oxfordshire. Funds came from private subscriptions, including loans from Viscount Canning and Charles Blake. The church was the first of nineteen parish churches built in Kensington during the long incumbency of Vicar John Sinclair. The foundation stone was laid on 8 January 1844, and the building was consecrated on 29 January 1845 by Bishop Charles James Blomfield. Because of its rural setting, locals first called it ‘St John in the Hayfields’. It remains a Grade II listed building and continues to serve the community. Today the church hosts weekly classical chamber music recitals every Thursday lunchtime, with coffee and biscuits provided. The annual May Fair, held on the second or third Saturday of May, fills the forecourt with stalls selling bric-a-brac, vintage jewellery and home-made cakes. Children’s games include a bouncy castle, face painting and a fancy-dress competition judged at 3.30 pm. Inside the crypt, tea, cakes and sandwiches are sold, while outside a barbecue and Pimm’s stall add to the festive atmosphere.