Church of St James is a Grade II* listed building in the Westminster local planning authority area, England. Church. 7 related planning applications.
Church of St James
- WRENN ID
- ruined-thatch-auburn
- Grade
- II*
- Local Planning Authority
- Westminster
- Constituency
- Kensington and Bayswater MP: Joe Powell (Lab)
- Country
- England
- Type
- Church
- Address
- Church of St James, Sussex Gardens W2, City of Westminster
- OS grid reference
- TQ 266 809
- Coordinates
- 51.51305, -0.17649
- Source
- Historic England listing
Description
The Church of St James is a Grade II* listed building located in Sussex Gardens, Westminster. It was designed by G.E. Street and completed in 1881, with a west chapel that was built earlier between 1841 and 1843 by Goldicutt and Gutch. The church is oriented with its chancel to the west and is constructed in the Decorated style using yellow brick, knapped flints, and stone dressings.
The structure features a four-bay nave with a clerestory and a lower chancel. There is a two-stage tower at the east end, topped with a spire that is set back behind a quatrefoil parapet, and adorned with corner pinnacles and flying buttresses. The base of the tower includes a five-light window, while the aisles have three-light windows with flowing tracery, all set within knapped flint walls. The clerestory is highlighted by paired two-light traceried windows.
Inside, the chancel is two bays long and features a seven-light flowing traceried east window, along with timber tierceron vaulting. Above the chancel arch are three oculi. The nave is supported by cloistered piers that create a pointed arcade, and the coved roof of the nave is decorated with figures of angels. The spandrels of the arcade and the aisle walls are clad in marble. The southeast chapel, which is liturgically significant, includes a central timber column. The remaining windows feature Victorian stained glass, and the church is equipped with a marble font, pulpit, and an inlaid reredos.
Local climate
Church of St James sits in one of the driest parts of the UK, with an average of 700 mm of rain a year. This makes it drier than 93% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is lower than that of 94% of listed buildings.
It experiences an average of 34 freeze-thaw cycles a year, more than 51% of listed buildings. Of these, 15 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.
Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.
More on this building
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- Full EPC report — heating system, energy costs, size, glazing, construction etc.
- Sale history — 2 transactions since 2002
- Related listed building consents — 7 applications
- Detailed attributes — period, style, materials, features
- Flood risk assessment
- Radon risk assessment
- Weather exposure and heating demand — rain and frost month by month and year by year, wind direction, solar and humidity
Matched applications, energy data and sale records are assembled automatically and may contain errors. Flag incorrect data.
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