St John’s, Smith Square

[innate]

I can’t link to the story, it’s behind a paywall, but there’s an article in today’s Times by Richard Morrison that says that because of a massive deficit St John’s, Smith Square is likely to close next year as a concert venue, 50 years after it opened.

I know the Klais organ is generally felt to be over-loud and too large for the space but it would be a double tragedy if such an instrument could not be found a new home.

[Zimbelstern]

The article actually says:

‘St John’s, Smith Square, London, is losing £250,000 a year. It does not receive any subsidy and without a fresh injection of cash its reserves will run out.

Richard Heason, the director, said that it had to survive on ticket sales and donations and if it did not find “another source of extraordinary money of some sort, then the money would run out by the end of next summer”.’

An article in another newspaper today says that one cruise missile costs £667,000. Enough to keep St. John’s going for three years!

Perhaps our esteemed representatives round the corner could save both St. John’s and a lot of lives at the same time.