Sacred London

Some of the finest churches, synagogues, mosques and temples. Architectural + decorative beauty plus historical significance.

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St James's Piccadilly

The only church Wren built on a new site of his own choosing, and the one he thought worked best.

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The tower over Duke of York Street, with the Red Lion below it.

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Wren had to fit his City churches onto medieval foundations; here in 1684 he had a clear field and could do as he liked, and he later wrote that this was the plan he would recommend to anyone building a church from scratch — galleries on three sides, a barrel vault, and everyone able to see and hear. Grinling Gibbons carved the limewood reredos and the marble font, in which William Blake was baptised. It was gutted by a firebomb in 1940 and put back over the following seventeen years. The courtyard holds a market most days and the church runs lunchtime recitals.

Where
197 Piccadilly, W1J 9LL
Nearest station
Piccadilly Circus · 2 min walk

Coming up

Hours

Monday10:00 – 16:30
Tuesday10:00 – 18:00
Wednesday10:00 – 18:00
Thursday10:00 – 18:00
Friday10:00 – 18:00
Saturday10:00 – 16:30
Sunday10:00 – 17:30

Hours from the page that lists them, checked 6 September 2026.

Sunday Eucharist at 11:00. The courtyard and garden keep slightly different hours, given on the same page.

NearbySacred London

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Data is compiled from public sources including OpenStreetMap, under the ODbL. Hours change often, so check before making a journey.

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