St James the Less

Clayton and Bell

1861

Stained glass

G. E. Street's St James the Less, Westminster

Vauxhall Bridge Road, London

St James the Less was built as a tribute to Dr James Monk, first Bishop of Gloucester and Bristol, by his three daughters. Top-class craftsmen were chosen: the firm of Clayton and Bell, responsible for the stained glass, were the firm often used by George Gilbert Scott.

Front elevation

Part of the east wall, exterior

Adam and Eve rondels

Main door, with columned porch and elaborately carved stonework

Interior, showing east windows by Clayton and Bell

Altar, showing Street's richly detailed east wall

Ironwork by the choir stalls

Ironwork screen to the side of the pulpit

Chancel wall Venetian glass mosaic by G. F. Watts (replacing his earlier mural here)

Stone pulpit

Column, marble on stone, with parable ("The Sower") carved into the stone, capital (according to Speel) "apparently by W. Pearce"

Decorative column with stencilling at the base

Marble font with highly decorative ironwork canopy and surround

Wall plaque to Dr James Monk's daughters, who founded the church

Photograph and text Jacqueline Banerjee

[You may use these images without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the photographer and (2) link your document to this URL in a web document or cite the Victorian Web in a print one.]

References

Jackson, Neil. "The UnEnglishness of G. E. Street's Church of St. James-the-Less." Architectural History. 23 (1980): 86-94.

Mitchell, Anthony and Olive. Thomas Earp: Eminent Victorian Sculptor. Buckingham: Baron, 2002.

Speel, Bob. "St James the Less, Vauxhall Bridge Road."

Watkins, Philip. The Church and Its History: St James the Less (1994; 8-page pamphlet available at the church).

Weinreb, Ben and Christopher Hibbert, eds. The London Encyclopaedia. London: Macmillan, rev. ed. 1992.

---

Last modified 15 February 2008