Church of St John the Evangelist

St John’s Church stands on Stratford Broadway in the London Borough of Newham. Built between 1832 and 1834 by Edward Blore in the Early English style, it replaced a former Forest Prison that had stood on the site since about 1620. The church was designed as a chapel of ease to spare worshippers the long walk to All Saints West Ham. Its most striking feature is a three-stage tower topped by a spire supported with flying buttresses. The poet Gerard Manley Hopkins was baptised here in August 1844. The church has played a central role in the area’s religious life since it became a separate parish in 1844. Parts of its original parish were later used to create new churches such as St Paul’s and St James’. The naturalist Antonio Brady is buried in the churchyard, and a memorial to the Stratford Martyrs was added in 1879. During World War II the crypt sheltered local people from air raids despite damage to the building above. Inside, the church retains its original Early English character and houses a memorial extension built for Antonio Brady in 1884. The crypt once served as a rehearsal and recording space for the post-rock group Bark Psychosis, who made their first single and debut album there. The building remains a Grade II listed landmark in the heart of Stratford.