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St James's Church, Piccadilly is an Anglican church on Piccadilly in the centre of London, UK. It was designed and built by Sir Christopher Wren.
The church is built of red brick with Portland stone dressings. The church's 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 good examples of the work of Grinling Gibbons.
History
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 the 13th July 1684 by Henry Compton, the Bishop of London.
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 famous London architect, Philip Hardwick, married Julia Shaw, daughter of the architect John Shaw Senior, in the church in 1819.
The church was severely damaged by enemy action in 1940, during the Second World War.
See also
Sources
- Book London Architecture, written by Marianne Butler, published in 2004 by Metro Publications, ISBN 1902910184.
- Web page http://www.st-james-piccadilly.org/', retrieved on the 6th April 2004 at 15:00 BST.
External links
- St James's Church, Picacadilly website
- Detailed architectural description and history from the Survey of London
Christopher Wren buildings | Churches in London | Westminster
"St James's Church, Piccadilly"