The History of St James's Church Buildings
• When the church was first built in 1863 it was a simple, solitary rectangular building costing £1,300, with nave 67 feet by 24 feet, chancel 24 feet by 20 feet and small vestry room. Since then the church building has undergone many changes, additions and improvements over the years which have transformed the original little "barn of a church" into the elegant building of today. There have also been many developments inside the church and many additions and changes to its contents over the years.
The Church Building through the years shows what happened from when records began up until 2017.
The West Porch through the years shows what happened from when records began up until 2017.
The Vestry through the years shows what happened from when records began up until 2017.
• The original windows of the church were made of plain glass. As the church was enlarged it was richly endowed with stained glass mostly given in memory of people whose untiring efforts brought so many benefits to the parish.
The Stained Glass Windows through the years shows what happened from when records began up until 2017.
• To celebrate Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee in 1887 it was decided to complete the church by building the tower and spire.
The Tower & Spire through the years shows what happened from when records began up until 2017. See the photo album Clock Restoration.
• In 1908 Mrs Fitz Wygram gave a small iron and wood building to make a church room, which was set up in the vicarage field. Since then different buildings have been used as a church hall.
The Church Hall through the years shows what happened from when records began up until 2017. Have a look at the photo album Improvements (start about half way through).
• The original vicarage was a large, elegant, gabled, typically Victorian one, which was built in 1864.
The Vicarage through the years shows what happened from when records began up until 2017. The vicarage is generally totally redecorated between vicars and in 2016 the windows were replaced.
The links above show what happened from when records began up until 2017. The Annual Parochial Church Meeting Reports show the latest reports from most teams and groups.
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Fitting the new AV system |
Getting ready to remove the clock faces |
Fitting the new heating system |
The History of St James's Churchyard
• Originally the churchyard was just the area immediately surrounding the church. However, because of the growing population of the new parish, this was found to be too small so in 1882 the vicar of Hampton gave an acre of land next to the church in Park Road to be used as the parish burial ground. Thus the churchyard now covers an area of approximately 1.6 acres and contains about 1200 known graves. The older part of the churchyard has many fine rare trees. The War Memorial, listed Grade 2 in 2015, was erected in 1920 and near it are the Canadian war graves, needed when the Canadian Military Hospital was situated in Bushy Park during the 1914-1918 war. The lych gate formerly stood nearer St James's Road but was moved to its present site in the early 1900s.
• The original plan of the churchyard was drawn up in the 1960s when there were appointed Guardians of the Churchyard. In 1988 a Working Party correlated the information in the five Burial Registers with the actual graves and gave each grave a number. Computerised plans of the churchyard were produced. A booklet 'Churchyard Records 1864-2000' was completed in February 2001 containing complete listings of all burials and interments since the foundation of the church. In the early millennium these records were put into an online searchable database on the church website, Churchyard Records - search by surname or year.
• Since 1992, the churchyard has been closed for burials except for reserved places in existing plots, though the interment of ashes is permissible. The maintenance of the churchyard is now the responsibility of the Local Authority.
The Churchyard through the years shows what happened from when records began up until 2017.
The links above show what happened from when records began up until 2017. The Annual Parochial Church Meeting Reports show the latest reports from most teams and groups.
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A sad farewell to the beech tree |
The churchyard in 1909 |
The garden made in 2019 |