The Church of St John at Hackney in London, England was completed in 1797 by architect James Spiller and became the heart of the community as early as 1275. After a devastating fire in 1955 and subsequent restoration, the church's interior deteriorated over the following decades.

Against this challenging backdrop, designer John Pawson and architect Thomas Ford and their partners, with the help of EBBA Architects, find themselves working hard to re-establish a cohesive identity for the church that will last as long as its history.

Key to the work's success was a series of surgical interventions that sought a harmonious blend of old and new. The original arched form is accentuated by stripping the interior. Key elements are then carefully inserted, such as the black oak paneling created by John Pawson that lines the perimeter of the nave. This references the material of the existing balcony benches, while ribbed details echo the grooves in the columns that define the central space.