Identity area
Type of entity
Authorized form of name
Parallel form(s) of name
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Other form(s) of name
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
History
Saint John the Divine originated in a mission established in a school, in response to rapid population growth in this area of Kennington from the 1860s onwards. In 1867-1868 a new building was constructed, with a ground floor room acting as the church and the upper floor as a school. In 1871 a site on Vassall Road was obtained, designs for a permanent church were commissioned from architect George Edmund Street, and building began. Part of the church was completed by 1873 but completion was delayed until an anonymous gift of £10,000 allowed the construction of the nave to go ahead. The church was consecrated in November 1874. A tower and spire were added in 1888. The church has been described as a masterpiece of the Gothic revival movement. The building was damaged by bombing during the Second World War, although restoration was begun in 1955.
Source of information: 'Brixton: Lambeth Wick estate', Survey of London: volume 26: Lambeth: Southern area (1956), pp. 108-122.