St John's Church, Waterloo

The Church of St John was built to the designs of the architect Francis Octavius Bedford in 1824. Bedford designed three other churches for the Commissioners, St George's, Camberwell, St Luke's Church, West Norwood and Holy Trinity, Newington. They were all built in the same Greek style inspired by Bedford's background as a well-respected Greek scholar and antiquarian. Bedford's churches were fiercely criticised by contemporary critics at a time when the tide was turning away from the Greek revival towards Gothic. St John's however gained more critical appreciation mainly because of its fine spire which used classical detail to build up a more traditional English parish church shape. The…

The church that exists today is a thriving and inclusive multicultural congregation in the Anglican catholic tradition that has strong links with the local community. Every June it hosts the popular Waterloo Festival. It is also home to The Bridge at Waterloo and a large and thriving Churchyard garden. It has a strong commitment to justice and environmental work and won an EcoChurch Gold award in 2022. There is a choir under a musical director. The church also hosts the Okusinza Church, which is a Luganda language church with a mainly Ugandan congregation. The church has Food Court stalls outside selling a range of cuisines from Monday – Friday every week.