With Coin Street Community Builders‘ Over 50s Art Group, we were planning a very ambitious art-installation in the Churchyard of St John’s. The severity of this pandemic encouraged us to change our approach. Through this series, we present the artists involved and their work. Up next is Sunjai Gupta.       I have […]

Throughout the Waterloo Festival 2020, we’ve been platforming artists who either live in or are connected to Waterloo. Chris Horner, a member of the The London Group, repurposes old building waste, breathing new life into material which once provided shelter and contained life within it. STUDY #1, Charcoal, Acrylic, Neon UV on Canvas My artworks […]

St John’s Waterloo is planning a major redevelopment project called ReIgnite – you may have heard or seen the banners outside the church. The plans for the building are well advanced and will involve making the building more fit-for-purpose, with new space, new facilities and access for all. St John’s Waterloo (David Bassadone, 2020) Can. […]

  For the duration of this year’s Waterloo Festival, Storyradio will be our resident storytellers. With a story every two weeks, Storyradio will be producing this creative series with a Waterloo theme.       The third feature is The Invisibles, by Tatum Anderson (click here to listen!). It tells of Tatum’s time as an […]

  Lusty Lovelace is a London based drag performer who performs regularly with the SOAS Drag Collective. They are known for their multi-lingual performances, gender bending, and unapologetic confrontation of societal issues. You can find them on Instagram @lustylovelace, Youtube, and on WordPress writing about travel.       I am expression. I am makeup, […]

  Third newsletter is out! You can subscribe by filling the form below (at the end of the page) or clicking here.              

  by Shanon Shah       We continue our curtain-raiser for the commemorations of the 30th anniversary of Okusinza mu Luganda (Worship in Luganda) with this two-part interview with former youth leader Sara Kwagala. Members of St John’s Waterloo will also know Sara as the daughter of former churchwarden Alice Mwanje. In this first […]

  We understand it’s difficult to get anything done under the current circumstances but we thought it might be fun to share some resources to help you learn a new skill or two during the lockdown. We’re starting off by sharing this easy to follow guide to creative coding with web designer Rifke Sadleir.   […]

  Through this series, we explore creative reactions to the recent events in the US and the UK and the #BlackLivesMatter movement. Introducing Lance Prime.       UKRNB Artist Lance Prime was born into a predominantly musical family, hence why his love for music seems so inevitable. He is heavily influenced by the 90s […]

  The Shot Tower at the Festival of Britain of 1951.           It’s 21st June 1951 and at the annual Sunday Pictorial Garden Party held at Morden Hall Park 25,000 movie fans flock to see such stars as Bette Davis, Bela Lugosi, John Mills, Richard Attenborough Googie Withers and Alec Guinness. […]

  An installation project organised by local artists and St John’s Waterloo needs your contribution!       St John’s Waterloo has been a London landmark since it was built in 1824 to cater for the rapidly growing population of London. It was restored after wartime bomb damage to become the official church of the […]

  In an alternate universe, in this year’s Waterloo Festival ERSO would have been proudly presenting a concerto performed by the winner of the 2020 ERSO Soloist of the Year. Sadly that can’t happen, but we wanted you to meet our finalists.           PRESTON YEO, violin   What is your main […]

  Local Blue Badge Guide Philippa Owen takes us on a virtual tour of one of London’s more sinister lost railways…           Westminster Bridge House which was built as the entrance to the Necropolis Railway in 1900 – 1902.           In the 1850s, the burial of the […]

  Coin Street have been funded by Illuminated River Foundation’s Community Fund to develop and deliver art workshops for young people aged 9+ for the local community. At Waterloo Festival, we are thrilled to have been offering a weekly platform from which to showcase and share the work more widely!       Eleanor Watson […]

  by Jenny O’Neill       In 1988 I moved into what was once called Princes Meadows – the part of Waterloo around what is now Hatfields and Stamford Street. There was still the remnant of the print trade existing with Mirror newspaper paper lorries leaving what is now the Gym building on the […]

  Over the course of a series of features and blogposts, Flux Soup are presenting Waterloo at Home; a sensory journey through a Waterloo micro World. We kicked off with call out and now we’re moving on to cocktails (watch out for recipes soon)!         William Curtis’ Botanical Garden in Lambeth   […]

Waterloo Festival thrives on creative partnerships, on bringing professionals from the world of arts and music to collaborate with and showcase their wonderful work to our communities in Waterloo, Lambeth and – thanks to the marvels of the internet – elsewhere. To finish off this series, we’re featuring Nonclassical with whom we had an event […]

Waterloo Festival thrives on creative partnerships, on bringing professionals from the world of arts and music to collaborate with and showcase their wonderful work to our communities in Waterloo, Lambeth and – thanks to the marvels of the internet – elsewhere. In this series, we meet some of our creative partners for 2020. Next up, […]

  The Library of Congress is currently inviting people to test their new exciting website, particularly aimed at audio lovers! This platform allows user to explore sound libraries, remix them with beats online and download the sounds from the library’s vast collections. Immerse yourself and share your finest creations with us on social media!   […]

  On Wednesdays 2-5pm, St John’s Waterloo (SE1 8TY) will be open for drop-off only of non-perishable food for Waterloo Foodbank and non-food items for Look Ahead. Volunteers needed!            In just six weeks, Waterloo Foodbank made home deliveries of emergency food to 4,200 people, an indicator of the scale of […]

  This year’s Waterloo Festival, originally scheduled to take place in and around St John’s Waterloo over three weeks in June, is going ahead online. The digital festival will be a celebration of the arts, community and heritage of Waterloo and the South Bank and will run from 27th of April until 28th June 2020. […]

  RESPAIR: WATERLOO FESTIVAL TO CELEBRATE RETURN OF HOPE   May and June 2021       Waterloo Festival, an annual celebration of the arts, community and heritage hosted by St John’s Waterloo, will return for its 11th year from early May until the 27th of June 2021.       The theme for this […]

  Every Tuesday for the duration of Waterloo Festival 2020, we’ll be meeting an artist who either lives in or is connected to Waterloo. First up is Joao Simoes-Brown.       Writing this blog post for the Waterloo Festival is an intriguing experience. I feel a little exposed, even though I’ve lived in Waterloo […]

  Fourth newsletter is out! You can subscribe by filling the form below (at the end of the page) or clicking here.