Church Of St James The Less

The Church of St James the Less is an Anglican church located in Hambridge, with its foundation stone laid on June 20, 1842, and designed by architect Benjamin Ferrey. The building is constructed from coursed and squared hammer-dressed lias with Ham stone dressings, topped with a slate roof featuring coped verges and a cruciform finial. It exhibits a Decorated style and consists of a nave, chancel, a north organ chamber, a south vestry, and a slender west tower.

The nave is buttressed and has five bays, with 2-light windows that feature cusped tracery in two styles, and labels adorned with well-modelled heads as stops. There is a small gabled south porch with coping and a finial, which includes simple chamfered inner and outer doorways of two orders, and a ribbed inner door. The embattled tower has two stages, diagonal buttresses on the west side, pinnacles, gargoyles, and 2-light bell-chamber windows, along with a 2-light west window that matches the style of the nave. The west doorway is narrow.

The lean-to vestry and organ chamber reflect a similar style to the nave. The chancel is short and has a single bay, with lancet windows on the north and south sides, and a three-light east window featuring good reticulated tracery. The east window, dating from the mid-19th century, has unusual coloring and style. Inside, the church retains many good fixtures and furniture typical of a modest church, and it remains virtually unaltered since the end of the 19th century, showcasing the interior design of a Victorian country church.