St John the Evangelist Church, Oxford

St John the Evangelist Church stands on Iffley Road in Oxford, a Decorated Gothic building designed by G. F. Bodley and completed in 1896. Its west tower was added in 1902, and the church is linked to the former monastery of the Society of St John the Evangelist. The Society’s Oxford chapter closed in 1980, and the buildings were then used by St Stephen’s House, an Anglican theological college. The church also serves as one of the college chapels for St Stephen’s House. The church is recognised for its stained glass by C. E. Kempe, installed around 1900, and its Stations of the Cross painted by Edward Arthur Fellowes Prynne. Prynne considered the commission a great privilege and completed the set in 1921. The paintings were based on earlier works, including one held by St Peter’s Church in Ealing. The church’s Sunday Mass is celebrated during Oxford’s academic year. Inside, visitors find the Stations of the Cross lining the walls, alongside Kempe’s stained glass in the east, west and north-east windows. The church is opposite the Roger Bannister running track, where the athlete used the church’s flag to check wind conditions before his record-breaking run in 1954. The building underwent restoration in 2008, including underfloor heating, and hosted arts events until 2025.