St James' Church, Yarmouth facts for kids

Quick facts for kids St. James' Church, Yarmouth
St. James' Church, Yarmouth
Denomination	Church of England
Churchmanship	Broad Church
History
Dedication	St. James
Administration
Parish	Yarmouth, Isle of Wight
Diocese	Portsmouth
Province	Canterbury

St. James' Church, Yarmouth is a very old and important church in Yarmouth, Isle of Wight. It's part of the Church of England and is known as a Grade II* listed building. This means it's a special historical place that needs to be protected because of its importance.

History of the Church

The church building has been around since the Middle Ages, but most of what you see today was rebuilt. The main rebuilding work started in 1635.

The Story of Sir Robert Holmes

Inside the church, there's a monument to a famous 17th-century admiral named Sir Robert Holmes. He used Yarmouth as his base for naval operations. There's a fun story about his statue: it's said he got it during a raid on a French ship. He supposedly found an unfinished statue of Louis XIV of France and made the sculptor change it to look like him instead of the king! However, people who know a lot about the church say this is probably just a legend. They think the face on the statue looks more like King Louis than Sir Robert.

Building and Rebuilding

Local stories say the very first church was located at the east end of the town. Its old foundations could still be seen in 1845. This original church was destroyed by French attackers in 1377. It was then rebuilt on the spot where the current church stands. But, sadly, it was damaged again in 1543.

At the start of the 17th century, the church was almost completely rebuilt. It was officially opened again by John Davenant, who was the Bishop of Salisbury, on March 11, 1626. The part of the church called the chancel was made longer by about 12 feet in 1889.

Inside the Church

To the south of the chancel, there's a small chapel. This chapel holds the impressive statue of Sir Robert Holmes, who passed away in 1692. You can also find many memorials to the Holmes family there. There's a special wall tablet made by an artist named Nollekens for Captain John Urry, from 1802. On the floor, you can see old grave slabs from the 17th century belonging to the Hide family and to Peter Pryavlx, from 1644. At the west end of the church, on the front of the gallery, there are brass plaques. These plaques remember different gifts and donations given to the church for charity. In the north aisle, you can also see the royal coat of arms for King George I, from 1715.

The Organ

The organ

The organ in St. James' Church was built by a company called Henry Speechly & Son. If you're interested in learning more about this specific organ, you can find detailed information about it on the National Pipe Organ Register. This register is a big list of organs in the UK.

Images for kids

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  Statue of Sir Robert Holmes

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  The east end of the church

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  The font, used for baptisms

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  The altar inside the church