St John on Bethnal Green

St John on Bethnal Green is an Anglican church built between 1826 and 1828 to designs by Sir John Soane. It stands on Bethnal Green itself, close to Bethnal Green tube station and the junction of Bethnal Green Road and Roman Road. The church is listed at Grade I for its architectural importance. Its west gallery houses a pipe organ installed in 1950 by the firm of Rest Cartwright. The belfry doubles as an exhibition space for contemporary artists. The church regularly presents avant-garde music events such as White Noise 53 and Sebastian Kite’s Genius Loci. In the year 2000 it commissioned fourteen Stations of the Cross paintings from the painter Chris Gollon. Gollon worked with Fr Alan Green, then rector of the church, to resolve theological questions despite not being a practising Christian. The resulting cycle remains a notable example of modern religious art in an historic setting. Inside, the west gallery organ case was designed by Martin Travers. The nave provides a plain setting for quiet reflection or attendance at services. The belfry gallery offers views over the surrounding streets and rooftops. The Stations of the Cross line the walls in sequence, each panel painted by Gollon in a contemporary idiom. The church’s Grade I listing reflects its place among London’s finest early 19th-century buildings.