Description
St John the Evangelist was built as a chapel of ease to St Dunstan's parish church of Stepney in 1617, and became the parish church of Wapping in 1694. The church was destroyed apart from its tower in WWII and the the former churchyard is now a small public garden. Two chest tombs remain in the garden, with headstones set against the west wall.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | St John's Churchyard |
|---|---|
| Site location | Wapping High Street, Scandrett Street |
| Postcode | E1 |
| What3Words | ///moving.legend.unit |
| Type of Site | Public Gardens |
| Borough | Tower Hamlets |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Public Transport | London Overground: Wapping. Bus: D3 |
| Research Updated | 1 September 2008 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
St John the Evangelist was built as a chapel of ease to St Dunstan's parish church of Stepney in 1617, and became the parish church of Wapping in 1694. At the time it was in the north-west area of the churchyard, later rebuilt in 1760 at the same time as St John of Wapping School. The school remains, but St John's was destroyed all but the tower and north wall in WWII. The churchyard of St John's Wapping is now a small semi-circular garden encompassed on the west and north sides by 3.5m high brick walls, to the south by lower brick walls, and to the east by C19th railings with a gate and overthrow with lantern. The garden abuts Wapping Sports Centre to the north. In 1896 Mrs Basil Holmes described the churchyard as 'closed and fairly tidy, having many large altar tombs in it', also reporting that 'this ground used to be very low and full of water'. It is now laid to grass with perimeter gravel set in an asphalt path and has a number of notable plane trees, also horse chestnut trees. There are two chest tombs remaianing, and headstones are set against the west wall. Opposite is St John of Wapping School, which is now private residences.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ346801 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 0.2616 |
| Site Ownership | LB Tower Hamlets |
| Site Management | Leisure Services, Parks and Open Spaces |
| Dates | C17th |
| Listed Structures | LBII: St John's Church (Tower and North Wall); St John's Schools |
| On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens | No |
| Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965 | No |
| Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931 | No |
| Local Authority | Tower Hamlets |
| In Conservation Area | Yes |
| Conservation Area Name | Wapping Pierhead |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
Gallery
Please note the Inventory and its content are provided for your general information only and are subject to change. It is your responsibility to check the accuracy.
Nearby parks and gardens
Either side of the original lock entrance at the Pier Head at Wapping are fine Georgian houses that were built for officials of the London Docks Company in 1811-13, designed by Daniel Asher Alexander. The locks were too small for ships then in use by the 1930s and in 1963 the London Docks closed. Today the houses are fronted by pleasant riverside gardens, railed with grass and mature trees, which were created after the Pierhead was infilled.
Formerly known as Wapping Recreation Ground, this was one of the earliest applications under the provisions of the 'Artizans, and Labourers' Dwellings Improvement Act' of 1875. The gardens were formed on the site of slum clearance in 1886 and were laid by the Metropolitan Board of Works. They were opened to the public on 8th June 1891. Wapping Gardens today have a fountain and playground, with perimeter planting of shrubs and a number of fine plane trees.
King's Stairs Gardens were added to LB Southwark's public open space in the 1980s to the north of Southwark Park on reclaimed building land. The riverside park gets its name from King Edward III who used the stairs to access his manor house on Bermondsey Wall East. The park has lawns and steeply undulating hillocks with fine views over the river, and scattered trees include London plane. On the riverside promenade an obelisk was unveiled on 5 July 2002 by the Duke and Countess of Wessex in commemoration of the Queen's Jubilee.
