Church of St George, Vestry and Obelisks is a Grade I listed building in the Westminster local planning authority area, England. First listed on 24 February 1958. A 1720-24 Church. 5 related planning applications.

Church of St George, Vestry and Obelisks

WRENN ID
low-stair-wax
Grade
I
Local Planning Authority
Westminster
Constituency
Cities of London and Westminster MP: Rachel Blake (Lab)
Country
England
Date first listed
24 February 1958
Type
Church
Address
Church of St George, Vestry and Obelisks, St George Street, City of Westminster, W1S 2FH
OS grid reference
TQ 289 809
Coordinates
51.51257, -0.14277
Source
Historic England listing

Also on this page: EPC · related consents · flood risk · radon risk · weather exposure · detailed attributes ↓

Description

The Church of St George, along with its vestry and obelisks, is a Grade I listed building located on St George Street in the City of Westminster. It was constructed between 1720 and 1724 by architect John James. The church is built from Portland ashlar and features a large hexastyle Corinthian column portico, which is set on a shallow flight of steps leading up from the pavement. The portico has a pediment and a modillion cornice, and it is flanked by obelisks. Behind the portico is a short west tower that includes a belfry inspired by Wren, along with a cupola.

The side elevation facing Maddox Street showcases a more Baroque style, reminiscent of Hawksmoor, with two tiers of vertically arranged windows that have heavy rustication and pediments. At the rear of the church, beneath the columned and segmental arched Venetian east window, is the single-storey and basement vestry, which is constructed of dark brick with red brick dressings, a Portland stone cornice, and a blocking course. The vestry has three sash windows with original glazing bars and gauged segmental arches. There is a stone architrave doorway with a panelled door at the top of a flight of steps, located in a later 18th-century lobby added to the north.

Inside the church, the aisles are cross vaulted and the nave has a segmental vault. There are galleries supported by square pillars, with Corinthian columns above that carry the vault. The reredos features a depiction of the Last Supper, attributed to William Kent, along with the original pulpit, organ case, and finely carved Royal Arms. The church also contains reset mid-16th century Flemish glass in the east windows, as well as screens and stalls designed by Sir Reginald Blokfield, whose uncle, Sir Arthur, restored St George's in 1894.

Local climate

Church of St George, Vestry and Obelisks sits in one of the driest parts of the UK, with an average of 690 mm of rain a year. This makes it drier than 95% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is lower than that of 98% of listed buildings.

It experiences an average of 35 freeze-thaw cycles a year, more than 57% of listed buildings. Of these, 16 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.

Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.

More on this building

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  • Full EPC report — heating system, energy costs, size, glazing, construction etc.
  • No sale records on file
  • Related listed building consents — 5 applications
  • Detailed attributes — period, style, materials, features
  • Flood risk assessment
  • Radon risk assessment
  • Weather exposure and heating demand — rain and frost month by month and year by year, wind direction, solar and humidity
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Nearby listed buildings

  1. 30 St George Street Grade II 20 m
  2. 32 St George Street Grade II 40 m
  3. 8 to 10 St George Street Grade II 46 m
  4. 12a and 12b St George Street and 46a Maddox Street Grade II 54 m
  5. 20, Conduit Street W1 Grade II 56 m
  6. 6 and 7 St George Street Grade II 57 m
  7. 13 St George Street Grade II 57 m
  8. 14 St George Street Grade II 62 m
  9. 4 St George Street Grade II 70 m
  10. 15 St George Street Grade II* 71 m