St James Garlickhythe, London

The church is dedicated to the disciple James, son of Zebedee, known as 'the Great'. St. James Garlickhythe is a stop on a pilgrims' route ending at the cathedral of Santiago da Compostela. Visitors to the London church may have their credencial, or pilgrim passport, stamped with the impression of a scallop shell. 'Garlickhythe' refers to the nearby landing place, or "hythe", near which garlic was sold in medieval times. The earliest surviving reference to the church is as ecclesiam Sancti Jacobi in a 12th-century will. Other records of the church refer to it as St James in the Vintry, St James Comyns, St James-by-the-Thames and St James super Ripam (Latin: 'upon the river'). The ships from…

St James Garlickhythe is in the shape of a rectangle, with the tower adjacent to the West and a protruding chancel (uniquely for a Wren church) projecting from the East. It is built from brick and Kentish ragstone, partly stuccoed, partly faced (since World War II) with Portland stone. Entrance is through a pedimented doorway with a cherub keystone in the tower, which is flanked by pairs of round headed windows in the west wall. Above is a recessed clerestory wall joined to the tower by semi-rounded pediments. The south front, facing Upper Thames Street, was formerly built against, and it has only become the main façade since 1971. It is five bays long, with blind round headed windows, the…

The official dedication is The Parish Church of St James Garlickhythe with St Michael Queenhythe and Holy Trinity the Less. The parish stretches from Gardners Lane in the west to Angel Passage in the east. Its southern border is the River Thames, and to the north it snakes through the lanes south of Cannon Street. The area now covers seven pre-Fire parishes: St James Garlickhythe, St Michael Queenhythe, Holy Trinity the Less, St Michael Paternoster Royal, St Martin Vintry, All Hallows the Great, and All Hallows the Less. It is also responsible for services at the nearby St Michael Paternoster Royal, which lies within the parish boundary. Sunday and daily services are drawn from the 1662…