St John the Evangelist's Church

The residential area now known as Vanbrugh Park, east of Greenwich Park and north of the present A2 road, was laid out in the early part of the Victorian era. Architect Arthur Ashpitel from Hackney was commissioned to design a new church for this district, which at the time (prior to the Local Government Act 1888) was in the county of Kent. It was his only new church in Kent, although he restored the medieval building at Ripple. Work began in 1852 and the church was completed in 1853. The war memorial outside the church, designed by J.B.L. Tolhurst and unveiled on 11 November 1922, was separately listed at Grade II on 19 May 2016.

St John the Evangelist's Church is "a local landmark" and "a focal point" in a prominent position: it stands on an island surrounded by roads and housing, and is clearly visible in the streetscape especially from the west. It is built of Kentish Ragstone, a local material, and has a roof of Welsh slate. which was out of fashion by the 1850s, although there are some Decorated Gothic Revival elements. Inside, the fittings date mostly from the late 19th century and include a rood screen and reredos by H.S. Rogers. The west-end gallery installed by D. Drury in 1898 was removed during the 1999 reordering. The firm of Heaton, Butler and Bayne designed many of the stained-glass windows.