History of St James

The parish of St James Clerkenwell has had a long and sometimes lively history. The area where the current church now stands has been a place of worship for almost 900 years.

You can download here, a short history of the parish, church building and church contents.
St James Clerkenwell: A short history
Download PDF Format (76KB)
Download Word Format (175KB)

Note: This short history should also be available to pick up as a leaflet in the entrance to the church

You can view some pictures of the main interior features of the church in our picture gallery.

You can read more about the history of St James, and the Clerkenwell area, at this site from English Heritage. The next volume in English Heritage's Survey of London, to be published in 2007, will describe the architecture and buildings of Clerkenwell. The nearby Finsbury Library is also the home of the Islington Local History Centre.

Of course the best way to see St James is in real life. Visitors are always welcome and the church is open to visitors 10am-2pm Mon-Fri. But the best time to see it is, naturally, on a Sunday morning when it is full of people!

Information if you are investigating your family history :
The majority of the church registers and other parish documents going back to 1561, are now kept in the safety of the London Metropolitan Archives, Northampton Road, which is very near by within the parish. Their website contains lots of information on how to contact them and use their dedicated research facilities.
St James church only holds duplicates of the following records:
Baptisms: 1926+ ; Marriages: 1945+