St James' Church, Stretham facts for kids

Quick facts for kids St James'
St James' Church, Stretham
North-west view from High Street. Single clock face can be seen on east face of tower
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OS grid reference	TL 513 747
Location	Stretham, Cambridgeshire
Country	England
Denomination	Church of England
Churchmanship	Evangelical
Website	St James' Church, Stretham
History
Founded	c. 12th century
Dedication	Saint James
Events	Extensive rebuilding 1868 Severe restoration 1876
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade II*
Designated	5 February 1952
Architect(s)	J P St Aubyn
Architectural type	Church
Style	Gothic
Specifications
Capacity	312
Length	28 metres (92 ft)
Width	13 metres (43 ft)
Nave width	5.5 metres (18 ft)
Number of spires	1
Materials	Mainly rag and Barnack stone; crested ridge tiled roof
Administration
Parish	Stretham
Diocese	Diocese of Ely
Province	Province of Canterbury

St James' Church in Stretham is a lively church in the village of Stretham, Cambridgeshire, England. It was built a long, long time ago, in the 1100s! It got a big makeover in 1876 by an architect named J. P. St Aubyn. It's so special that it's protected as a Grade II* listed building by English Heritage. This means it's a very important historical site.

The church has a special clock on its tower. It was made in 1876 by a company called JB Joyce & Co and still tells the time perfectly. St James' also has six bells that are used for change ringing, a special way of ringing bells in a pattern. After being quiet for a few years, the bells started ringing regularly again in June 2011. St James' is one of eight churches that work together in the Ely Team Ministry.

History of St James' Church

Plan view showing arrangement of windows and columns

St James' Church is located in the middle of Stretham, a small village with about 1,685 people. The village is about 6 kilometers (4 miles) south-south-west of Ely in Cambridgeshire. It's about 119 kilometers (74 miles) by road from London.

The first time this church was written about was in a book called Liber Eliensis. This book was written in the 1100s and tells the history of the Isle of Ely. In 1137, some people were said to have met secretly in Stretham church. We know parts of the church, like the east chancel, are from around the 1100s. This matches the old records.

Important People Connected to the Church

Lancelot Ridley (who passed away in 1576) was a rector (a type of priest) at Stretham from 1560. He was buried right here in the church area. His son, Mark Ridley (1560–1624), became a doctor for the Tsar of Russia.

In 1751, a writer named Francis Blomefield wrote about St James' Church. He said it had a square tower with four bells and a clock. He also mentioned a special chapel inside.

Major Changes and Restoration

The church had a very big restoration in 1876. An architect named J. P. St Aubyn led this work, which cost a lot of money at the time. During this restoration, new parts were added, like the north and south transepts (parts that stick out from the main building). The whole south aisle of the nave (the main part of the church), the chancel (the area around the altar), a clerestory (upper windows), and a new porch were also added.

Protecting the Church's Heritage

St James' Church in Stretham is a very old building. It is protected by special laws. On February 5, 1952, it was first listed as a Grade A building. Then, on August 19, 1988, English Heritage re-evaluated it. Since then, it has been a Grade II* listed building. This means it is especially important to the country's history, and everyone tries hard to keep it safe.

The church's old records are kept in the County Records Office in Cambridge. Since 1990, St James' Church has worked closely with the Stretham Methodists. This is part of an ecumenical agreement, meaning different Christian groups work together.

St James' Place in the Community

St James' is part of the Ely Team Ministry. This is a group of eight churches that work together. These churches include:

• St Mary's, Ely
• St Peter's, Ely
• St Leonard's, Little Downham
• St Michael and All Angels, Chettisham
• St George's, Little Thetford
• St James, Stretham
• Holy Cross, Stuntney
• St Peter's, Prickwillow (This church closed for worship in 2008 but is still part of St Mary's parish).

Church Architecture and Design

Part of the turret clock mechanism showing clockmaker as JB Joyce & Co of Whitchurch, Shropshire and date of manufacture of 1876

The church building mostly looks like it was built in the 1300s. However, the east wall of the chancel still has pieces from the 1100s. The tower, which is made of smooth stone, is also from the 1300s.

Outside the Church

The west window of the church has three sections with beautiful stone patterns. The clock on the east side of the tower was made in 1876 by JB Joyce & Co. This company is the oldest tower clockmaker in the world! The church wardens wind the clock every week to keep it running.

The east wall of the chancel has one large window with five stained glass panels. These panels have fancy patterns in a Gothic style. The church also has special lights that shine on it at night. These lights were paid for by a grant from the National Lottery.

Inside the Church

Inside St James'

Chancel east five-light window

Nave, east towards chancel; aisles either side enclosed by arcades of four bays supporting the clerestory's and the wooden rafters of the roof. The north (left) octagonal columns are 14th century; the south round columns were added during the 1876 restoration

Inside the chancel, there's a lowered stone seat for three people. There's also a small cabinet in the north wall. Next to it is an arched tomb with a special stone lid. This lid remembers Nicholas de Kyngestone, who was a rector in the late 1200s.

A beautiful wooden screen from 1440 separates the chancel. On the floor of the chancel, there's a black marble slab from 1667. This is a memorial for Anne Brunsell. She was the sister of the famous architect Christopher Wren and the wife of the rector at that time.

The church has a pipe organ that was built in 1886. It was made by J W Walker and Sons of London. In 1907, the organ was rebuilt and made bigger. Later, after 1937, it was changed to use electricity to blow air through the pipes.

The Church Bells

Until 1952, St James' Church had five bells for change ringing. In 1952, a sixth bell was added, and one of the old bells was remade. The oldest bell still in the church was made in 1796. The newest bells were made in 1951.

These six bells are rung from a special room on the first floor. This room is above the recently built servery and toilets. According to church records, bell ringers have performed 78 "peals" (long, complex bell-ringing performances) at St James' Church since 1952.

Rectors of Stretham Church

The church has had many rectors (the main priests) over the centuries. Here are some of them:

The records before 1523 have not been fully confirmed. However, they mostly match the old painted board inside the church.