A stone’s throw from the Southbank (well, if you outstandingly good at stonethrowing anyway) is St John’s church. It’s an elegant building, with a graceful spire.
In the surrounding garden yesterday evening, I saw a couple arrive and set out a picnic supper on the grass, enjoying the warm sunshine. I sat for a few minutes on a comfortable bench before heading home.
But when the sun goes down, the scene changes outside this beautiful church. Homeless people gather and vans arrive with volunteers serving food.
The church is also the headquarters of Southbank Mosaics, an outfit begun by ex-teacher David Tootill, dedicated to beautifying ugly areas, and the garden is full of examples of its work.
There are planters:
Planter
A mosaiced sculpture of the Owl and the Pussycat:
The Owl and the Pussycat
And a wonderful undulating bench that owes more than a little to Gaudi:
Bench
Close up you see there are names inscribed on ceramic leaves:
Names on Leaves
For this is a memorial to those people living on the streets and who have used the garden and facilities at St John’s who have died.
Dedication
What a treasure. We shall add it to our list of places to visit!
Oh good! 🙂
🙂
What a great story, Isobel. Nice pictures, too.
It is a lovely place.
It’s good to know there is such a beautiful place for some of our street people to go.
I do love the mosaics and yes, very Gaudi like.
It’s a nice spot in the sunshine.
Beautiful spot to sit and admire those gorgeous mosaics!
Pam
Yes, and you can admire the flowers, listen to the birds, all minutes from Waterloo Bridge and the train station.
Beuatiful beautiful mosaics! St. John’s Church IS elegant!!
It’s a waterloo church, so called because it is one of the churches built as a result of the Commissioners for Building New Churches being set up in the wake of the Napoleonic Wars.
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