St James' Church, Stretham
| St James' | |
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| St James' Church, Stretham | |
North-west view from High Street. Single clock face can be seen on east face of tower
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 St James'
Location in Cambridgesire
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| Coordinates: 52°21′N 0°13′E / 52.35°N 0.22°E | |
| OS grid reference | TL 513 747 |
| Location | Stretham, Cambridgeshire |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Churchmanship | Evangelical |
| Website | St James' Church, Stretham |
| History | |
| Founded | c. 12th century |
| Dedication | Saint James |
| Events | Extensive rebuilding 1868 Severe restoration 1876 |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Grade II* |
| Designated | 5 February 1952 |
| Architect(s) | J P St Aubyn |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Gothic |
| Specifications | |
| Capacity | 312 |
| Length | 28 metres (92 ft) |
| Width | 13 metres (43 ft) |
| Nave width | 5.5 metres (18 ft) |
| Number of spires | 1 |
| Materials | Mainly rag and Barnack stone; crested ridge tiled roof |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Stretham |
| Diocese | Diocese of Ely |
| Province | Province of Canterbury |
| Clergy | |
| Bishop(s) | Bishop of Ely |
| Vicar(s) | Rev. Natalie Andrews |
| Laity | |
| Churchwarden(s) | Robert Leeke Tim Hill |
St James' Church, Stretham, is an active Anglican church in the village of Stretham, Cambridgeshire, England. Founded in the 12th century, it was heavily restored by the architect J. P. St Aubyn in 1876. English Heritage, a body responsible for preserving historical sites in the United Kingdom, assessed the church a Grade II* listed building. The turret clock on the east face of the tower was also made in 1876, by JB Joyce & Co of Whitchurch, Shropshire, and still keeps good time. The church has a ring of six bells hung for change ringing. Regular ringing resumed at the church in June 2011 after several years' silence. St James' is one of eight churches in the Ely Team Ministry.
St James' Church stands in the centre of the small village of Stretham, which has a population of 1,685. The village lies 6 kilometres (4 mi) south-south-west of Ely in Cambridgeshire, England, about 119 kilometres (74 mi) by road from London. The earliest written record of this still active church is in the Liber Eliensis, a 12th-century history of the Isle of Ely. In 1137, during Bishop Nigel's (c. 1100–1169) time, Anglo-Saxon conspirators were said to have met in Stretham church. Fragments of the east chancel are known to be from about the 12th century, corroborating the record of the church's existence in that period.
Lancelot Ridley (d. 1576), appointed one of the first Six Preachers of Canterbury Cathedral in 1541 and a rector of Stretham from 1560, was buried in the parish.Mark Ridley (1560–1624), one of Lancelot's sons, became the physician to the Tsar of Russia.
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