 Part of St John's parish was split off in 1865 to provide a parish for St Paul's Church, Stratford, previously a mission church.In 1881 another part of St John's parish was also joined to parts of the parishes of All Saints and Emmanuel Church to form a new parish for the church of St James' Church, Forest Gate.The naturalist and social reformer Antonio Brady is buried in the churchyard in 1881; an extension to the chancel of the church was constructed in his memory in 1884.