In 1821
James Weller Ladbroke (died 1847) and his architect
Thomas Allason (1790–1852) began to plan an estate on land which now spans the southern end of
Ladbroke Grove. From 1837 to 1841 a significant part of this land was used as the
Hippodrome race-course. The hill that is now surmounted by St John's was used by spectators as a natural grandstand to view the races. The Hippodrome was not however a financial success, and by 1843 it had closed, the circular racecourse soon to be replaced by crescents of stuccoed houses. St John's Church, now a Grade II listed building, forms the high point and centrepiece of the Ladbroke estate, and is dedicated to
St John the Evangelist. It was built to accommodate a congregation of 1,500, and was designed in the
Early English style, the spire being notably similar in design to that of St Mary's Church in
Witney,
Oxfordshire. The architecture of St John's contrasts with the classical style of neighbouring
St Peter's, built a decade later. Work on St John's was begun on 8 January 1844, when the foundation stone was laid by the Ven
John Sinclair, Vicar of Kensington from 1842 to 1875, and
Archdeacon of Middlesex. During Sinclair's long incumbency (1842–1875), 19 parish churches were built in
Kensington, of which St John's was the first. It was consecrated by Dr
Charles James Blomfield, Bishop of London, on 29 January 1845. Due to its rural location, the church was initially known as "St John in the Hayfields". ==St John's today==