St James's Church, Westminster
| St James's Church, Piccadilly | |
|---|---|
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The Church in 2011
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| 51°30′31″N 0°8′12″W / 51.50861°N 0.13667°WCoordinates: 51°30′31″N 0°8′12″W / 51.50861°N 0.13667°W | |
| Location | Piccadilly, London |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Churchmanship | Liberal |
| Website | st-james-piccadilly |
| History | |
| Dedicated | 13 July 1684 |
| Architecture | |
| Heritage designation | Grade I |
| Architect(s) | Christopher Wren |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Diocese of London |
| Clergy | |
| Rector | The Revd Lucy Winkett |
| Curate(s) | The Revd Lindsay Meader |
| NSM(s) | The Revd Hugh Valentine The Revd Ivan Khovacs |
| Laity | |
| Churchwarden(s) | Steve Innes and Mercedes Pavlicevic |
St James's Church, Piccadilly, also known as St James's Church, Westminster, and St James-in-the-Fields, is an Anglican church on Piccadilly in the centre of London, United Kingdom. The church was designed and built by Sir Christopher Wren.
The church is built of red brick with Portland stone dressings. Its interior has galleries on three sides supported by square pillars, and the nave has a barrel vault supported by Corinthian columns. The carved marble font and limewood reredos are both notable examples of the work of Grinling Gibbons.
In 1662, Henry Jermyn, 1st Earl of St Albans, was granted land for residential development on what was then the outskirts of London. He set aside land for the building of a parish church and churchyard on the south side of what is now Piccadilly. Christopher Wren was appointed the architect in 1672 and the church was consecrated on 13 July 1684 by Henry Compton, the Bishop of London. In 1685 the parish of St James was created for the church.
Samuel Clarke was rector from 1709 to 1729 and was one of the leading intellectual figures of eighteenth-century Britain. William Blake was baptised at the church in 1757. Leopold Stokowski was choirmaster from 1902 until 1905 when he left for a similar position in New York.
The church was severely damaged by enemy action in 1940, during the Second World War. Works of restoration were carried out by the architect Sir Albert Richardson. The church’s website carries a detailed history.
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Wikipedia