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We offer daily services and a creative programme of talks, events and concerts. We seek to be a welcoming space for people to reflect, create and debate.
Come and celebrate the hope and light that Christmas brings each winter
St James’s hosts inclusive services and a cultural programme. We seek to be a welcoming space for people to reflect, create and debate.
St James’s is a place to explore, reflect, pray, and support all who are in need. We are a Church of England parish in the Anglican Communion. This is a place for everyone who’s wondering about life’s big questions and striving for a better world.
We host a year-round creative programme encompassing music, visual art and spoken word, drawing on St James’s rich cultural history including artists, writers and musicians Mary Beale, Mary Delany, William Blake, Ottobah Cugoano and Leopold Stokowski.
We try to put our faith into action by educating ourselves and speaking out on issues of injustice, especially concerning refugees, asylum, earth and racial justice, and LGBTQ+ issues.
We aspire to be a home where everyone can belong. We’re known locally and globally for our unique history and beauty, as well as faith in action, creativity and the arts, and a commitment to social and environmental justice.
We strive to be a Eucharist-centred, diverse and inclusive Christian community promoting life in abundance, wellbeing and dignity for all.
St James’s Piccadilly has been at the heart of its community since 1684. We invite you to play your part in securing this historic place for generations to come.
It costs us £3,500 per day to enable us to keep our doors open to all who need us
Your donation will help us restore our garden in Piccadilly as part of The Wren Project, making it possible for us to welcome over 300,000 people from all faiths and walks of life seeking tranquillity and inspiration each year.
St James's Church 197 Piccadilly London W1J 9LL
Directions on Google Maps
Musicians, thinkers, poets and artists have been at the core of life and St James’s Church for centuries.
Today this cherished and sacred public space is open throughout the year and plays host to a wide-ranging cultural programme of both free and ticketed events and exhibitions, to stimulate the imagination and nourish the soul. Regular events include lunchtime recitals, an outdoor monthly soul music festival, evening concerts, talks by some of today’s leading writers and thinkers, as well as art installations and exhibitions.
New artwork by Che Lovelace commemorates Cugoano, a prominent abolitionist but largely forgotten figure in Black British history. Lovelace was selected by a process led by curator Ekow Eshun.
Held in the courtyard our monthly festival features the Soul Sanctuary Gospel Choir. Spoken word artists have included Sophia Thakur, Dizraeli and Solomon O.B, and iconic music ranging from Whitney Houston to Kirk Franklin.
St James’s has a long tradition of music, both religious and secular, and the support of benefactors has made our scholarship programme possible.
The 2023 Piccadilly Piano Festival showcases a range of established and emerging artists, including Jools Holland, John Grant, Tokio Myers, Derek Paravicini, Melvyn Tan and Victoria Canal.
In 2022 St James’s commissioned an artwork in the sanctuary of the church by Jesse Darling (Turner Prize award winner). An accompanying programme of events and music involving Freya Lily, Trans Voices, Cherif Hashizume, Sarah Boulton, and okcandice.
Every year St James’s takes a central role in the launch of the Royal Academy’s Summer Exhibition. As part of its ‘Varnishing Day’ celebrations artists and members of the Academy process from the RA to the church for a special service.
As part of its mission to celebrate artistry and ingenuity in every walk of life, for the first time in its 340 year history, St James’s in 2023 welcomed drag icons from around the world to perform beneath its ornate gold ceiling, showcasing some of the biggest names in the art of drag, as well as fresh talent.
A music festival in 2022 celebrated journeys, stories, migrations and community. Mercury Prize winner Talvin Singh OBE headlined Embark festival along with sarod pioneer Soumik Datta & Indian singer Deepa Nair Rasiya.
