News & Stories
Fri 30 May 2025
A 300-year-old baroque masterpiece in the heart of Westminster, Smith Square Hall has a rich and varied past. Once a parish church, now a concert venue, its walls echo with centuries of history.
Whether you’re here for a concert, visiting our Footstool Cafe, or strolling through Westminster, here’s 5 historical features you should look out for on your next visit to Smith Square Hall.
Yes, they’re stone, but there are pineapples on our roof.
During the 18th century, when St John’s the Evangelist was constructed, pineapples were a symbol of wealth, hospitality, and status. The fruit was first brought back to Europe by traveler and explorer, Christopher Columbus, in the 16th century. The pineapple’s exotic appearance, topped with its gold crown, earned it the nickname ‘King Pine’. Rare and notoriously difficult to grow in Europe and Britain, this previously unknown fruit became a decadent status symbol. The wealthy displayed them as the centerpieces at dinner parties; others would rent them; and their image was incorporated into art, design, and architecture.
Thomas Archer, St John the Evangelist’s architect, originally planned to crown the church’s towers with gothic spires. However, the final modified design features four towers each topped with a stone pineapple, most likely a nod to the fashionable symbolism of the time.
As you wander around Smith Square, take a look at the gas lights dating back to the 1800s. London still has around 1500 of these originals, and a few of them can be seen here.
Before gas lights illuminated London’s streets from 1807, the city was a dark and often dangerous place at night. Dim oil lamps and candles were only used where necessary, leaving much of London in shadow. The introduction of gas lights was welcomed to help improve public safety and allow the city’s working and social life to extend after dark.
St John’s was the first church to receive gaslighting in 1813. However, when they were installed, they were so primitive that the congregation once had to abandon their service because of the smell coming from them!
Walk up the spiral staircase from the crypt into the main hall, and you’ll notice there’s a Union Jack hanging on the wall. On 10 May 1941, the final night of the Blitz, the building was directly hit and gutted by a bomb. Next to the Union Jack, there’s a handwritten note by the Deputy Post Warden for Westminster that details the events of that night.
‘The night began with heavy high explosives and explosive incendiaries, and roof spotters nearby called the attention of the warden service on the ground to fire bombs (2) on the church roof’ the note reads.
The warden on top of the roof was unable to control the fires from the bombs, and he grabbed the Union Jack that was flying on top of the building. The 1944 handwritten note states it hopes the flag ‘will fly once more on Armistice Day and anniversaries.’.
It is also noted that ‘the illumination from this old church enabled the enemy to return with renewed force and a fresh container was dropped on the locality, firing the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey and Christ Church Victoria Street.’.
The fire burned from 11pm until noon the next day, and three of its towers came crashing down to the ground. The building lay open as a ruin for 20 years before it was saved by Lady Parker of Waddington, who formed the Friends of St John’s in 1962, to raise money and restore it to Thomas Archer’s original design.
Transcript of the handwritten note:
This Union Jack was saved from the burning remains of St John’s church Westminster on the night of May 10th/11th 1940. St John’s was one of the many historic churches which fell to air attack during the many assaults on central London at about this time. On this occasion a heavy incendiary and H.E. (High Explosive) attack was made on central London, and Westminster seemed to be the target area.
The night began with heavy high explosives and explosive incendiaries, and roof spotters nearby called the attention of the warden service on the ground to fire bombs (2) on the church roof.
As the whole locality was literally sprinkled with fires only one warden was spared to climb the S. E. tower stairway and get to work with long shovel and water. In each case the bomb had got through the lead casing and ignited the timbers, the molten lead settling in again making it difficult to get it to work.
More help was called for and the fire service was sent from a “leaving fire” in the outer suburbs, all local branches being fully occupied. In the circumstances the 45 minute delay was not considered unduly long but in this time the fire was so great that the warden had to quit, bringing with him this weatherbeaten flag which was bent on the Heligard, ready for hoisting.
The illumination from this old church enabled the enemy to return with renewed force and a fresh container was dropped on the locality, firing the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey and Christ Church Victoria Street.
In the latter case an enemy place dived at Firemen operating a water tower securing a direct hit with a H. E.
A relic of this remains on the paintwork of a building nearby which bears at the height of 10 feet the perfect imprint of a road wheel from one of the fire appliances that was working there.
St John’s was built to the order of Queen Anne for William Wyatt, a student and contemporary of Christopher Wren and is in the true Wren style only one of the four towers.
The S. E. remains intact with its pineapple shaped capital. The others came crashing, burning to the ground being of carved oak and only zinc covered.
The fire was burning from 11pm on May 10 till noon the next day owing to the immense strain on the water service. Hoses could not throw the water high enough to douse the other towers and the timber structure in them remained burning until the services of a water tower could be obtained.
This flag is given to Colonel Starr as a memento of his command at the St John’s House, opposite the church with the hope that it will fly once more on Armistice Day and anniversaries.
James _
Deputy Post Warden _ /8/1944
Head down Lord North Street, just by Smith Square, and you’ll see a relic from the Second World War: a public shelter sign on the brick wall of number 16. During the Blitz, thousands of Londoners would head underground to seek safety in public shelters. This shelter sign points to a vault in the basement of the house.
If you’ve been into the Hall before, you will have no doubt noticed the organ. With 3574 pipes, three keyboards for the hands, one for the feet, and 48 stops, the pipe organ at Smith Square Hall is known for its versatility.
The present organ was built by Orgelbau Klais Bonn, and the main organ case, acquired from St George’s Church in Great Yarmouth, dates to 1734. In 1972 it was transferred to Smith Square and was inaugurated in 1993. The Hall now had a mighty voice to complement its exquisite Baroque interior.
With its solid European white oak frame and levers of Alaskan pine to connect the keyboard to the pipes, the organ’s tonal colours are optimised to perform an array of works – from Baroque to Romantic, contemporary to film.
