Church Of St James

The Church of St James was built in 1890 by Sir Arthur Blomfield, replacing a church that was originally constructed in 1838. It is designed in the Gothic style reminiscent of the 15th century and was intended to include a western tower that was never completed. The church features a chancel with a south chapel that has an apsidal east end, as well as north vestries. The nave has north and south aisles, consisting of four bays, with two windows in the clerestorey and one in each aisle, supported by buttresses along the aisle walls.

The exterior is notable for its prominent red tile roofing, complemented by stone copings on the gables that carry cross finials. The building is made of red brickwork in English bond, with flush stone dressings, a stone band at cill height, and a plinth. The windows include traceried designs with two lights in the clerestorey and three in the aisles, along with large traceried windows at the east and west ends.

Inside, the church boasts a double-hammer beam roof with a full Perpendicular treatment and contemporary furnishings, including floor tiles in the chancel. There is an ornate font as well as a Perpendicular font that is believed to have been recovered from a local river and may have belonged to Hamble Priory Church. A plaque inside commemorates the founding of the first church on 18 April 1836, which was struck by lightning in 1875.