St James the Less, Westminster

George Edmund Street

Topics for Discussion

How "English" is this church? Do you agree with Charles Eastlake that it is "eminently un-English" (qtd. in Jackson 86)?

When Neil Jackson adds that it represents "the high water mark of Street's adaptation and incorporation of features and forms derived from Continental precedents" (86) is he saying the same thing as Eastlake, or something a little different?

For example, compare Street's ironwork here with the kind of ironwork on display at the Medieval Court of the 1851 Great Exhibition.

Consider also the involvement of Watts and others in the project.

References

Jackson, Neil. "The UnEnglishness of G. E. Street's Church of St. James-the-Less." Architectural History. 23 (1980): 86-94.

Mitchell, Anthony and Olive. Thomas Earp: Eminent Victorian Sculptor. Buckingham: Baron, 2002.

Speel, Bob. "St James the Less, Vauxhall Bridge Road."

Watkins, Philip. The Church and Its History: St James the Less (1994; 8-page pamphlet available at the church).

Weinreb, Ben and Christopher Hibbert, eds. The London Encyclopaedia. London: Macmillan, rev. ed. 1992.

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Last modified 22 January 2008