Our history
Travellers through Bermondsey all know St James' Church as a landmark - by road, rail and from the air, the dragon on the steeple rides calmly amid the tower blocks and acres of housing estates.
Before 1829, when the church was consecrated, the only church in the
whole of Bermondsey was the Parish Church of St Mary Magdalen, at the
end of Bermondsey Street. In 1724 at the Bishop's
Visitation, it was recorded "In Bermondsey there are 9,000 people".
The
only houses were along Bermondsey Wall, which was part of the only road
or highway from the City out into Kent. Here wealthy
merchants had magnificent houses. The first streets in our Parish were
Salisbury Street and Janeway Street. Here a rich West India Merchant
built a house and called it Jamaica House, after the island
from which his fortune was derived. By 1710 there were enough poor
people living here for it to be necessary to provide a workhouse for 50
people.
In the 18th century ropemakers settled here and in Bevington Street,
Farncombe Street and New Church Street (later called Llewelyn Street)
ropewalks were established and houses sprang up so that it
became necessary to build a new road - Jamaica Road.
Between 1825 and 1830 our end of Abbey Street and a few houses along the line of Spa Road were built. In Jamaica Road only the south side was inhabited in large houses with a view from back windows over open country. As late as 1870/80 there was a farm in Tranton Road.
After Waterloo in 1818 an Act of Parliament was passed to raise a
million pounds as a national thank-offering for peace, and as a memorial
to the soldiers who had fallen. South London secured seven
of the so-called Waterloo Churches which it was decided to build with
the money, and, through the persistence of a group of Bermondsey
churchmen, the needs of our area were pressed, and in 1821 they
bought the land which forms our churchyard and secured a generous grant
from the Commissioners of the Fund.
The Chairman of the Committee was William Nottidge, a wool-stapler; with him were two brothers, William George and Richard King Watts, tanners; John Harcourt, Thomas Keeton and Martin Carter, all builders, Robert Rich, who commanded the Bermondsey Volunteers and Dr William Harrison, one of the two Chaplains of St Saviour's, Southwark (now Southwark Cathedral).
Then came 6 years delay - the
committee wanted a tower and a spire but there was not enough money.
They devised a scheme - to build a crypt under the church in which
bodies could be buried; this would provide a steady income. On
this security the trustees received permission, by Act of Parliament, to
raise £3,000.
With a liberal grant on the part of the parishioners and the gift of the Commissioners, the contract for the building of the church for £21,412.19.5 was signed and the first stone laid on the 21st February, 1827. Dr Sumner, Bishop of Winchester, consecrated the church on May 7th, 1829.
"The building will
hold 2,000 persons, of whom 1,200 are accommodated in free seats". But
the spire (copied from Wren's at St Stephen's, Walbrook) cost £2,300 more, so in 1831 a new Act of
Parliament had to be passed to borrow this further sum. By 1840 the last
loan had been repaid and the church was free of debt.
James Savage, the architect, modelled the church on that of Greek
Temples with galleries round three sides and the organ in the west.
Competent authorities declare that St James' Church is the finest
church built by the Waterloo Churches Commissioners. (Sir John Betjeman)
The lectern and pulpit were built very high to keep the minister in touch with the galleries.
A glorious peal of 10 bells was
cast by the famous foundry of Mears of Whitechapel, from cannon left
behind by Napoleon at Waterloo. A four-faced striking clock, costing
£160, was put in the tower. The Organ, built by J.C. Bishop
in 1829 is described later.
Gifts of silver Communion vessels were
received from some of the original members of the Committee whose
energies resulted in the building of the Church, and the Clock in
the West Gallery was given by J.T. Martin.
The Church now built was dedicated to St James but everyone called it
Bermondsey New Church. Its grandeur recalling the days when wealthy
merchants still lived in Grange Road and Jamaica Road.
St James today
In the last fifteen years the entire church building, including the historic organ and the Ascension picture, has been extensively restored.The bells once again ring out over Bermondsey each Sunday morning and the Great West Doors are opened wide to welcome the people of the parish to worship the Lord Jesus Christ and hear his Gospel proclaimed.

Searching the Registers
The historic baptism and wedding registers of the parishes of St James, Christ Church, St Crispin, St Anne, & St Augustine's, Bermondsey are kept at the London Metropolitan Archives and can be consulted there.
Wedding Records prior to 1992 may also be obtained from the Southwark Register Office.
Historic churches in Bermondsey and Rotherhithe
For details of other historic church building locally visit the Bermondsey and Rotherhithe Open Churches website
