St James's Church, Bermondsey

Church in London, England

51°29′49″N 0°04′00″W / 51.4970°N 0.0668°W / 51.4970; -0.0668LocationBermondsey, LondonCountryUnited KingdomDenominationChurch of EnglandWebsitewww.godlovesbermondsey.co.uk/our-history.phpHistoryStatusActiveConsecrated7 May 1829ArchitectureHeritage designationII*Designated6 December 1949Architect(s)James SavageStyleNeo-classicalYears built1827–1829AdministrationProvinceCanterburyArchdioceseCanterburyDioceseSouthwarkEpiscopal areaWoolwichArchdeaconrySouthwarkParishSt James', Bermondsey

St James's Church, Bermondsey, is a Church of England parish church in Bermondsey, south London. Designed by James Savage, it was one of the churches built as a result of the Church Building Acts.^[1] It was completed and consecrated in 1829 and given a separate parish (split off from the ancient parish of St Mary Magdalene's, Bermondsey) in 1840.^[2]^[3] In 1949 it was designated a Grade II* listed building.^[4]

The spire was inspired by Sir Christopher Wren’s St. Stephen Walbrook, and required a separate Act of Parliament in 1831 to borrow extra funds.^[5]

The churchyard was closed to burials in 1855, and was then used for communal drying. It was converted to gardens by the Metropolitan Public Gardens Association, and opened to the public in 1886. An obelisk memorial and some chest-tombs were retained.^[6]

References

^ "London Gardens Trust: St James's Churchyard". Retrieved 20 January 2021.
^ Malden, H.E., ed. (1912). A History of the County of Surrey: Volume 4. Victoria County History. pp. 17–24. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
^ "Our history". www.godlovesbermondsey.co.uk. Archived from the original on 1 November 2015.
^ Historic England. "Church of St James (Grade II*) (1385962)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 22 June 2017.
^ Hedley, G. (2018). Free Seats For All: The boom in church building after Waterloo. p. 95.
^ "London Gardens Trust: St James's Churchyard". Retrieved 20 January 2021.