Church of St James The Less

The Church of St James The Less is a parish church built between 1859 and 1861 by architect G.E. Street. It features dark red brick with some black brick and stone dressings, topped with slate roofs. The design is a bold and simple Gothic style with influences from Lombard architecture. The church includes a nave, aisles, a transept, and an apsed chancel. A notable feature is the passage to the northeast porch, above which stands a distinctive tower that is separate from the main body of the church.

The church is set back from the former Thorndike Street, with open ground leading to Vauxhall Bridge Road. The aisles and clerestory are adorned with plate tracery windows, including three-light windows. The square tower above the porch is solid, topped with a slated pyramidal spire that is corbelled out with four corner spirelets.

Inside, the church showcases exposed polychrome brickwork and red and yellow glazed tiles. The nave arcade is supported by squat granite columns with shaft rings and capitals that are intricately carved with stiff leaf designs and parables. The pulpit is heavily carved with figures and reliefs by Earp. There is a fine fresco above the chancel arch by Watts, and the font features an ornate iron canopy designed by Street. The stained glass includes works by Clayton and Bell, as well as one clerestory window designed by Street and made by Powell.