The Grade 1 listed church on Bethnal Green Road is one of only three churches designed by renowned architect Sir John Soane.
Since 1828, it has been at the heart of its parish and is considered a building of international significance.
The church is also home to a unique artwork, Fourteen Stations of The Cross, by British artist Chris Gollon.
Recent structural surveys have found urgent problems including damp and structural damage.
These issues have developed alongside various alterations over the years, which have changed Soane’s original design.
In response, the Bishop of Stepney Dr Joanne Woolway Grenfell, priest-in-charge Darren Wolf, and David Tregunna, trustee of the Chris Gollon Estate, are appealing for support and donations to fund the first phase of a major renovation project.
Church Warden Debbie Frame, St John on Bethnal Green, with Station of the Cross X by Chris Gollon (Image: Russell Sach)
Priest-in-charge Darren Wolf said: “Our passion is to secure the church as a place of worship and a sanctuary for the local community.
“Swift action in Phase One of our Restoration Project will be essential to secure this for future generations, and to address the urgent challenges of water ingress and rising damp.”
The first phase of the project aims to assess what is needed to preserve the church and make it suitable for future generations.
Organisers hope to begin work by 2028, in time for the church’s 200th anniversary.
St John’s has played an important role in local and national history.
During the Bethnal Green Tube disaster in 1943, the church served as a place where the bodies of the dead and wounded were brought.
Today, it stands in Tower Hamlets, one of the most diverse and deprived areas in England.
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The church’s interior features Chris Gollon’s Fourteen Stations of The Cross, a unique installation commissioned in 2000 and installed in 2009.
Dr Grenfell, Bishop of Stepney, said: “Chris Gollon’s Stations belong in the context of St John on Bethnal Green, their deeply human depictions of Jesus reflecting the humanity of local people who faithfully walk the way of sorrows with their Saviour.
“These Stations are no mere wall art but draw from and nurture the devotional life of the local church community.”
