In the fledgling days of the colony. Osmond Gilles gave a half acre of land on which to build St John’s church. The original foundation stone was laid on October 19, 1839, by Governor Gawler. In the early years, services were well attended by people who walked or rode from the nearby villages of Unley, Beaumont and Burnside.

The first church building was condemned and demolished in 1886. The materials were subsequently used to build St Mary Magdalene’s church in Moore Street, Adelaide.

The present church building at St John’s was completed in 1887. It is built in the nineteenth century Gothic style, of sandstone with brick features. It has two front doors, the north door opening to Halifax Street and the south door to the garden. There are stained glass windows at the front and back of the church, and the original leadlight windows along the sides. The sandstone walls are unusually tuck-pointed. The angled buttresses are also noteworthy. The tower, which still dominates the streetscape, integrates well with the rest of the church. The bell is still rung for services.

Inside, the nave is simple and unusually wide, wth elegant king-post trusses in the roof. There is nothing to distract the eye from the handsome sanctuary. Along the side walls of the nave runs the original decorative frieze, uncovered during the recent restoration. There are attractive stained glass windows on the southern wall.

– Taken from the St John’s Church tour guide.