St James's Church, Piccadilly
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| St. James's Church, Piccadilly | |
|---|---|
 Current photo of St. James's Church
|
|
| Information | |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Architect(s) | Christopher Wren |
| Contact particulars | |
| Address | Piccadilly, London |
| Country | United Kingdom |
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.
Contents |
[edit] 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 church was severely damaged by enemy action in 1940, during the Second World War.
[edit] Baptisms
- William Blake was baptised there 1757.
- Lord Chesterfield
- Lord Chatham
[edit] Marriages
- in 1762, a double wedding where both founding partners of the furniture-makers Ince and Mayhew married sisters.
- London architect, Philip Hardwick, married Julia Shaw in the church in 1819.
- Prince Friedrich Wilhelm von Hanau, eldest son of Frederik William, Elector of Hesse-Kassel, married in 1856 the actress Auguste Birnbaum
- Author and poet, Robert Graves, married Nancy Nicholson in the church in 1918. Best man was George Mallory
- General Sir Robert Arbuthnot, KCB 1826
- MP, James Arbuthnot, was married there in 1984.
[edit] Burials
- James Gillray, the influential and groundbreaking caricaturist.
- Mary Beale acknowledged as one of the first professional women artists, buried 1699.
- Dr John Arbuthnot was buried there 1735.
- Willem van de Velde, the elder (marine painter).
- Willem van de Velde, the younger (marine painter).
- “Old Q.,” William Douglas, 4th Duke of Queensberry.
- Pedro Vicente Maldonado (Ecuadorian scientist)
- The Earl of Grantham (Lord Chamberlain to Queen Caroline of Ansbach)
- William Elliot of Wells (equerry to George II)
- William Hunter (anatomist)
[edit] Concerts
Concerts are regularly held in the church. [1]
[edit] See also
[edit] Sources
- Book London Architecture, written by Marianne Butler, published in 2004 by Metro Publications, ISBN 1-902910-18-4.
- Web page http://www.st-james-piccadilly.org/', retrieved on the 6th April 2004 at 15:00 BST.
[edit] References
- ^ Corinthian Chamber Orchestra one of the groups which gives concerts in the church
[edit] External links
