OMG! Look at these views over E11 – and beyond

It’s always nice to look over the neighbourhood from a height; it allows a different perspective on the familiar. And what better way to do this than by climbing the 75ft tower of E11’s most enviable Victorian landmark?

Yup, for the fourth year running, the nice people at the church are offering their Sunset Over London tower tours. But only sixty visitors will have the chance to see stunning views of the local area and the city beyond. And the next one of three sessions is this forthcoming Wednesday.

Tours begin at 730pm with Fairtrade coffee, tea or hot chocolate and biscuits. Next there’s live music, with professional musicians giving their time and talents for free (yay!) to support the church’s fundraising efforts. Then it’s time to don hard hats and climb the 96 spiral steps to the top of the tower, where visitors can take their time to search for landmarks, take photos, or simply enjoy the view.

As you can see from these stunning pics (taken pre-Olympics in 2012, so some landmarks have of course now changed), the climb to the top is well worth the effort. The skyline to the south takes in the Olympic Park, the O2, Canary Wharf, the BT Tower, the Shard and the Barbican, and on a clear evening, the London Eye and St Paul’s Cathedral. Closer to home, visitors can enjoy an unusual perspective on familiar streets and buildings, with traffic and trains tracing a map of Leytonstone in lights.

St John’s was designed by leading 19th-century architect Edward Blore, who also worked on Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey. Over the past few years it has undergone extensive refurbishment of the tower, roof and interior, and complete interior redecoration, which was finished in May 2012. Income from the tours will help the church meet the remaining costs of the refurbishment.