St John's, Smith Square

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St John's, Smith Square in the 18th century

St. John's, Smith Square
Photo of St. John's as seen from Lord North Street
Information
Denomination	Church of England
Architect(s)	Thomas Archer
Style	English Baroque
Constructed	1728
Contact particulars
Address	Smith Square, Westminster, London
Country	United Kingdom
Portal:Christianity

St John's, Smith Square is a church in the middle of Smith Square, Westminster, London. Sold to a charitable Trust as a ruin following firebombing in World War II, it was restored, the internal layout altered somewhat, and is now used as a concert hall.

This grade I listed church was designed by Thomas Archer and was completed in 1728. It is regarded as one of the finest works of English Baroque architecture, and features four corner towers and monumental broken pediments. It is often referred to as 'Queen Anne's Footstool' because as legend has it, when Archer was designing the church he asked the Queen what she wanted it to look like. She kicked over her footstool and said 'Like that!', giving rise to the building's four corner towers.

Renowned for its fine acoustics, the church serves as a popular venue for music, particularly for classical music. Famous schools use it as a concert hall in London, such as Radley College.