Saturday, May 02, 2009

Photo Essay: Church of St. John’s the Evangelist

Having some time before meeting my supervisor, I popped into the church next door to Kings College London. Also see this link for some more background.

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I dont know why this is so but i love these old churches and temples. Look at this fencing, now its decrepit and falling down, but look at how they built it.


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its been painstakingly crafted to look so nice and even now, couple of hundred years later, it still looks beautifully crafted out of iron. Photobucket

But all the gravestones were then shoved across to the edge. You can see how the iron fence tops have now been worn down. Its an old old church.

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but that isn't what you could say about the gravestones. I found this a bit sad, all the gravestones were shoved off to the corner of the churchyard, lined up against the wall, so obviously did no longer have any relationship with the poor person burial place. And the material was also manky, it was almost as it was sloughing off the material, you couldn't see what was originally carved on the stone, hundreds of years of pollution, acid rain, rain, shine have had their evil way with it. 
 

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the next patron obviously worked on the proper stone, it had a nice lamp sort of carving on the top. 


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there’s the church.

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Some more photographs of the tombs (mainly of the Peache family)  which are well worn away, barely to be seen. Feeling a bit depressed, I went off to check on the main church.

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The lower left hand side plaque says,

Erected by the nursing staff in honour of the patients who died in the King Gorge Hospital HM Stationery Office, Stamford Street, Used as a military hospital during the war

On the top left hand side, the marble has an engraving which says:

The names of those who died in the King George Hospital are inscribed on a parchment roll placed with the church records. The names of those who were parishioners of St. Johns Church are inscribed on the three remaining panels of this memorial.

Quite nice, no? a nice gesture from the nursing staff who obviously cared deeply for their patients.

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But obviously, the times have moved on, the plaque on the wall on the left says,

Due to the high incidence of physical and verbal abuse to the staff and parishioners of St. Johns, and the defacement of and damage to church property, the church will no longer allow individuals to “bed down” or congregate on the church steps or under the portico. Anybody found so doing will be asked to leave and the police will be called. The Parish of St. John’s will seek to prosecute any individuals who assault or abuse staff or parishioners.

This is obviously sad, not good at all. Can you imagine what’s happening in a house of God? disgusting. I dont understand why you would wish to deface such a wonderful beautiful monument but then, I suppose vandals and morons are everywhere. Some even throw acid on women’s faces, burn them and cane them. When they can do so to human beings, what are the chances of an inanimate object surviving?


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Here’s the front of the church, pretty imposing, eh? but I am not sure that the portico pillared Grecian style goes very well with the steeple, dont know, just doesnt fit in properly.

 

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A longer shot which captures the entire church with the naked trees in the foreground.

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The council seems to have dressed up the footpath, quite cool looking strips of light embedded within the pavement itself. Neato.

Here’s the Google satellite view, its the pin in Blue.


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