St James’s deserves to be better known: it is a daring enclosure of space, with a grandeur and solidity speaking volumes about the aspirations of our ecclesiastical and secular ancestors in the last quarter of the nineteenth century. Its position close to Paddington Station, other transport links, St Mary’s Hospital and over a hundred hotels within the parish boundaries means that St James’s has a vital role in the serving visitors to London as well as a large and busy residential and business community. Its open door attracts many who come to pray, to worship, to find peace or simply to visit. The church is listed Grade II*.
Early in 1994 St James’s began seriously to consider the future of all the buildings on its site. The church itself was in sound condition and recent quinquennial inspections had indicated repairs which the parish could afford to complete: extensive roof repairs were carried out in 1995. The church hall, rather crudely attached to the ‘east’ end in 1958 was another matter. Heating and electrical systems needed replacing and lavatories and kitchen were overdue for refitting. The hall, though at the time extensively let for orchestral rehearsals and other activities, was hardly used by the parish. The two flats attached to the hall, which were originally intended for staff accommodation , were let, but were in an unacceptable condition and required extensive refurbishment. The detached vicarage, on the same site, was an indifferent 1950s building.
After much discussion the Parochial Church Council decided to dispose of the hall and vicarage site. Once a buyer was found and a price agreed it was possible for the parish to draw up plans for the development of the church itself. There plans were driven by the desire to secure and develop St James as a place of worship, and so the scheme was designed ‘from the altar outwards’. There have been many ramifications, but it remains our intention to provide a dignified space for the celebration of the Christian liturgy.
The chief subsidiary development concerns the crypt, where a partnership was developed between the PCC and St James & St Michael’s School to form an Early Years Unit in half of the crypt. St James’s would put ten percent of the sale proceeds of the hall site towards the cost of bringing the school on to the site. The remainder of the crypt would contain a suite of rooms for parish use and hiring.
The process of obtaining the various consents was protracted. The parish expected this, and in 1997 constructed lavatories and kitchen in two redundant porches in the ‘northwest’ corner of the church. In May 2001 demolition of the hall and vicarage began, followed by extensive stonework repairs to the damaged ‘east’ end. On the site of the church hall and vicarage two blocks of flats were to be built – seventeen units in all, one of which would be the new vicarage.
The main contract for the work on the church and crypt began in January 2002 and was completed in early summer 2003. During the main contract worship on Sundays and weekdays was in the restrictive setting of the choir where we managed to seat over a hundred people!
The work covered every aspect of the main plan with the exception of some further subdivisions of space for a sacristy, chapel and storage area, and the lighting. Major items included were: liturgical re-ordering and re-arrangement of seating; excavation of crypt and garden; insertion of beams to support crypt vaulting; under-floor heating in the church and heating and mechanical ventilation in the crypt.
The new vicarage was ready for occupation in July 2003. The new altar was consecrated by the 132nd Bishop of London, The Right Revd. Richard Chartres, on 25 November 2003. The Early Years Unit for St James & St Michaels’ School opened in January 2004. The rest of the crypt has now been let to a private nursery. The project was masterminded by Colin Kerr of Molyneux Kerr Architects.
The second phase of the refurbishment work has now been commenced with the completion of a new sound system, sacristy/office refubishment, restoration of the side chapel and completion of the new sanctuary floor. Further work includes a new lighting system, redecoration of the church and restoration of the porches.
