St James-the-Less is a

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...

Bethnal Green Bethnal Green is an area in London, England, and is located in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is in east London and part of the East End of London, East End. The area emerged from the small settlement which developed around the common la ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. It is an

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

church in the

Diocese of London The Diocese of London forms part of the Church of England's Province of Canterbury in England. It lies directly north of the Thames, covering and all or part of 17 London boroughs. This corresponds almost exactly to the historic county of ...

. The church is in the

London Borough of Tower Hamlets The London Borough of Tower Hamlets is a London boroughs, borough in London, England. Situated on the north bank of the River Thames and immediately east of the City of London, the borough spans much of the traditional East End of London and ...

. Prior to 1965 it was in the

Metropolitan Borough of Bethnal Green Bethnal Green was a Civil parishes in England, civil parish and a Metropolitan boroughs of the County of London, metropolitan borough of the County of London between 1899 and 1965, when it was merged with the Metropolitan Borough of Stepney and t ...

History

St James-the-Less Church was built as a

commissioners' church A Commissioners' church, also known as a Waterloo church and Million Act church, is an Anglicanism, Anglican church in England or Wales built with money voted by Parliament of the United Kingdom, Parliament as a result of the (58 Geo. 3. ...

in 1840–2 and a district was assigned in 1843, taken from the parish of St Matthew's, Bethnal Green. The church was built with yellow, red, and white brick and stone in a Romanesque style and the architect was

Lewis Vulliamy Lewis Vulliamy (15 March 1791 – 4 January 1871) was an English architect descended from the Vulliamy family of clockmakers. Life Lewis Vulliamy was the son of the clockmaker Benjamin Vulliamy. He was born in Pall Mall, London on 15 March 17 ...

. It had a shallow semi-circular apse, wide aisled nave with galleries and a square south west tower with spire. It suffered bomb damage in the 1940s and was rebuilt by J. A. Lewis, preserving the north and south walls, chancel arch, and tower. Stained glass windows by Keith New were added c.1959. The church was reconsecrated in 1961. The building was Grade II listed in 1973.

School

The St James-the-Less National School on St James's Road and Sewardstone Road was built 1858. It had an adjoining teacher's house in St James's Road.

George Lansbury George Lansbury (22 February 1859 – 7 May 1940) was a British politician and social reformer who led the Labour Party (UK), Labour Party from 1932 to 1935. Apart from a brief period of ministerial office during the Labour government of 1 ...

attended the school from 1868 to 1870. The school was in disrepair by late 1898 and in 1900 the girls and infants' school was converted into parochial buildings.

Notable clergy

* From 1906 to 1908,

Frank Buttle Frank Buttle (19 October 1878 – 11 February 1953), was a priest of the Church of England and the founder of Buttle UK. Early life William Francis Buttle was born in Brixton on 19 October 1878. He was a son of William Buttle, a solicitor, ...

was the Assistant Curate. * John Watts Ditchfield was Vicar from 1908 at least before being appointed first

Bishop of Chelmsford The Bishop of Chelmsford is the Ordinary (officer), Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Chelmsford in the Province of Canterbury.''Crockford's Clerical Directory 2008/2009 (100th edition)'', Church House Publishing (). The current bisho ...

in 1914. * From 1999 to 2006,

Rachel Treweek Rachel Treweek (née Montgomery; born 4 February 1963) is an English Anglican bishop who has served as Bishop of Gloucester since 2015 and is the joint third female bishop in the Church of England, and first female diocesean bishop. A former spe ...

was the Vicar. In 2015 she became the

Bishop of Gloucester The Bishop of Gloucester is the Ordinary (officer), ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Gloucester, England, Diocese of Gloucester in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers the Gloucestershire, County of Gloucestershire and part ...

, the first woman to become a diocesan bishop in the Church of England

History

School

Notable clergy

References

See also