Church Of St James

The Church of St James is a Grade II* listed building constructed between 1912 and 1913, designed by Temple Moore. Although plans included two additional bays and a west tower, these were never completed. The church features a simplified Perpendicular style exterior made of cement render with Bath stone dressings and a tiled roof.

The nave consists of three bays and includes a southwest porch, while the tall chancel has four bays and a clerestorey. There is a three-bay northeast chapel and a combined chapel with an organ chamber above on the southeast side. The nave is adorned with tall paired traceried windows separated by buttresses, and it has an ogee-arched doorcase leading to the southeast and southwest porches, which are flanked by side lancets and buttresses. The chancel features a clerestorey with double paired lancets, while the chapels have triple trefoliated headed windows and a four-light window to the east. The easternmost bay has an arched traceried window, and the east end includes a four-centred arched window in the clerestorey and a blocked traceried window below that depicts Calvary, supported by angle buttresses.

Inside, the church predominantly exhibits a Romanesque character. The nave has a barrel-vaulted ceiling with plain tiebeams resting on corbels, and the aisles feature a crownpost type roof. An elaborate carved oak octagonal pulpit with an octagonal canopy above is a notable interior feature. The chancel includes Romanesque arcades on the south side and Moorish arcades on the north. A fretted choir screen with cinquefoil-headed panels is present, and the northeast chapel contains a series of fine early 20th-century stained glass windows, primarily dedicated to members of the Nicholson family. The sanctuary is highlighted by a carved reredos designed by Ninian Comper.