St James Piccadilly

• In 1662, Henry Jermyn, 1st Earl of St Albans was granted land for residential development on what was then the outskirts of London. He set aside land for the building of a parish church and churchyard on the south side of what is now Piccadilly.

• Christopher Wren was appointed the architect in 1672 and the church was consecrated on 13 July 1684 by Henry Compton, the Bishop of London. The church is built of red brick with Portland stone dressings.

• The church’s interior has galleries on three sides supported by square pillars, and the nave has a barrel vault supported by Corinthian columns. The carved marble font and limewood reredos are both good examples of the work of Grinling Gibbons.

• The church was severely damaged by enemy action in 1940, during the Second World War.

• Piccadilly Market was established in 1981 and operates six days a week in the courtyard of St James's Church. Mondays: Food Market. Tuesdays: Antiques and Collectables Market. Wednesday: Saturday: Arts and Craft Market.