St James the Less, Pimlico

St James the Less is a Church of England parish church in Pimlico, Westminster. George Edmund Street designed it between 1858 and 1861 in the Gothic Revival style. The building stands back from Vauxhall Bridge Road, originally hidden from view by slums and tenements. It occupies land once owned by Westminster Abbey and is surrounded by the Lillington Gardens estate, built around it in the 1960s. The church is constructed mainly from red brick with black brick embellishments and Morpeth stone bands. Its most striking feature is a free-standing Italian-style tower topped by an unconventional spire. The church is recognised as one of the finest Gothic Revival buildings anywhere. Street’s first London commission, it reflects his admiration for continental medieval architecture. The interior blends red and black brick, granite columns with carved capitals, and elaborate mosaic work in the chancel. George Frederic Watts contributed a mosaic of the Last Judgement above the chancel arch. The stained glass by Clayton and Bell depicts various saints, including the church’s patron. Inside, the nave has three wide bays leading to the apse, lined with short granite columns. The chancel is groined in brick and richly decorated with mosaic and marble. The pulpit, carved by Thomas Earp, remains in place though worn by time. The font’s domed iron canopy was shown at the 1862 International Exhibition. The church’s fittings, from the railings to the capitals, were part of Street’s original vision, blending influences from France, Italy and Germany.