St George's is very much a town church, bounded on three sides by busy streets, and on the fourth by a narrow passage. There is no expanse of churchyard to enable the building to be seen from a distance, and this presented a problem which James solved reasonably successfully. The west front is a portico jutting into the street so that it makes a visual impact when seen from Hanover Square or from the bottom of St George Street.
The classical front with six great Corinthian columns supporting a pediment represented a new trend in English Church design. The intention to place a statue of King George I on the summit of the pediment was not carried out. The two obelisks at the ends of the steps are eighteenth century lamp standards.
The bell-tower rises behind the portico out of the west end of the church itself. In form it owes much to Wren's cupola at Chelsea Hospital, but it is more decorative. On the lantern above the clock coupled columns are set diagonally at the corners, supporting urns above an entablature and cornice. Elegant festoons adorn the walls above the windows. The tower contains a single bell, weighing four hundred pounds. The small turret above the cupola is surmounted by a ball and vane of gilt copper.
