Church of St James

The Church of St James is an 1852 church built in Edgbaston for the Calthorpe Estate, designed by S S Teulon. It is a cruciform church with an aisled layout, intended for a large congregation. The church is constructed from pink sandstone with buff dressings, and is built in the Decorated style. The steeply pitched roof, clad in patterned tiles, is a dominant feature, punctuated by two timber dormers with geometrical tracery and triangular, louvred vents, alongside ornamental ridge tiles. The transepts have large wheel windows to the north and south. The lower chancel features a small geometrical east window, and is flanked by vestries. A slim, square tower rises from the angle between the chancel and a south vestry, broaching to an octagonal belfry and topped with a squat spire incorporating lucarnes. A stone south porch projects from the nave, accessed by a sweeping set of steps, and the north and south doors have decorative ironwork to the hinges. Internally, the vast nave roof runs straight through the crossing to the chancel, supported by paired hammer beams alternating with scissor trusses. Corbelled arches define the transepts, and corbelled clustered shafts mark the chancel arch. A surprising internal buttress is present within the tower. The spacious, evangelical design allows the pulpit to be a focal point.