St James's Church, East Cowes is the
Church of England
The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...
parish church
A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...
of
East Cowes
East Cowes is a town and civil parish in the north of the Isle of Wight, on the east bank of the River Medina, next to its west bank neighbour Cowes.
The two towns are connected by the Cowes Floating Bridge, a chain ferry operated by the Isle ...
,
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight ( ) is a county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the largest and second-most populous island of England. Referred to as 'The Island' by residents, the Isle of ...
.
History
The church was built in 1831 by the architect
John Nash.
[The Buildings of England, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. ]Nikolaus Pevsner
Sir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner (30 January 1902 – 18 August 1983) was a German-British art historian and architectural historian best known for his monumental 46-volume series of county-by-county guides, ''The Buildings of England'' (1 ...
The land was given by
Thomas Chamberlayne Thomas Chamberlayne may refer to:
*Sir Thomas Chamberlayne (judge)
Sir Thomas Chamberlayne, SL (died 27 September 1625) was an English judge who served as Chief Justice of Chester during the reign of James I of England.
Life
Chamberlayne, the ...
Esq., of
Cranbury Park
Cranbury Park is a stately home and country estate situated in the parish of Hursley, Winchester, England. It was formerly the home to Sir Isaac Newton and later to the Chamberlayne family, whose descendants now own and occupy the house and surr ...
. On 6 September 1831, the twelve-year-old
Princess Victoria laid the foundation stone of the new church. Construction of the church was completed by 1833 and on 12 July 1833, Princess Victoria and her mother the
Duchess of Kent
Duchess of Kent is the principal courtesy title used by the wife of the Duke of Kent. There have been four titles referring to Kent since the 18th century. The current duchess is Katharine, the wife of Prince Edward. He inherited the dukedom ...
attended the consecration service by
Charles Richard Sumner the
Bishop of Winchester
The Bishop of Winchester is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Winchester in the Church of England. The bishop's seat (''cathedra'') is at Winchester Cathedral in Hampshire. The Bishop of Winchester has always held ''ex officio'' (except dur ...
. The total cost of the build was £3,000.
Between 1864 and 1868, the church was greatly enlarged and altered by the architect
Thomas Hellyer.
In 1870, the chancel was added, as well as a private chapel.
In June 2009, a new project started allowing the congregation of the church to meet before services to have breakfast together.
Yearly, the church also holds a Jigsaw Puzzle Festival, which is during August and lasts for one week.
Burials
*
John Nash (1752–1835), architect
Parish status
The church is in a United Benefice with
St. Mildred's Church, Whippingham
St Mildred's Church, Whippingham is the Church of England parish church of the village of Whippingham, Isle of Wight.
History
The village of Whippingham, and St Mildred's Church as its parish church, are best known for their connections wi ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cowes, St. James
Church of England church buildings on the Isle of Wight
Grade II listed churches on the Isle of Wight
East Cowes