St John's Smith Square

St John's, Smith Square, is a deconsecrated church in Smith Square, a stone's throw from the Houses of Parliament. It is now used as a concert hall and also houses a restaurant.


The church was origninally built in 1728, and was badly damaged by the bombing raids of the Second World War. Following the war, it was restored by a charitable trust and is now plays host to frequent classical concerts and, very occasionally, ones by more contemporary acts like Arcade Fire.

The restaurant in the crypt (open weekday lunchtimes and concert evenings) is called the Footstool, in a nod to the legend that Queen Anne requested that the church be built to resemble a footstool.

For more information visit http://www.sjss.org.uk/

Click here to see the location on a map.

_{^Picture from flickr courtesy of Dan Taylor^}