Search...
We offer daily services and a cultural programme of talks, events and concerts. We seek to be a welcoming space for people to reflect, create and debate
From Sun 6 to 27 April
Breastplate will be displayed behind the altar of the Side Chapel and lit from below so that it glows from within, thereby revealing its feather-filled fragility and the talismanic contents of its pockets.
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.
We host a year-round creative programme encompassing music, visual art and spoken word.
We offer hospitality to people going through homelessness and speak out on issues of injustice, especially concerning refugees, asylum, racial justice, and LGBTQ+ issues.
St James’s strives to advocate for earth justice and to develop deeper connections with nature.
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.
The work of St James’s, it costs us £5,000 per day to enable us to keep our doors open to all who need us.
A reimagined St James’s realised. A redesigned garden, courtyard and new building capacity—all fully accessible— will provide beautiful spaces for all as well as improving our environmental performance.
Whether shooting a blockbuster TV series or creating a unique corporate event, every hire at St James’s helps our works within the community.
St James's Church 197 Piccadilly London W1J 9LL
Directions on Google Maps
St James’s Church
The church building is open to visitors
Monday – 10am – 4.30pm
Tuesday – Friday 10am – 6pm
Saturday – 10am – 4.30pm
Sunday – 10am – 5.30pm
You are welcome to join us for our Sunday Eucharist at 11am which lasts until approximately 12.30pm.
Click here for upcoming services
General site including courtyard and Southwood garden
Monday – Friday 8am–6pm Saturday 9am–4.30pm Sunday 9am–5.30pm
The Caravan
The Caravan free counselling service is located in the green caravan in the courtyard near to the path to the garden. It is open 7 days a week. For opening times, please see here.
StreetFoodish Market
Opening times:
Mon – Fri 11 am–3pm
You can find us at…
St James’s Church 197 Piccadilly London W1J 9LL
Getting to St James’s Church by Public Transport
St James’s Church is conveniently located in the heart of London at 197 Piccadilly, W1J 9LL, making it easily accessible by public transport. Here’s how you can find us:
By Tube Green Park Station (Jubilee, Piccadilly, and Victoria lines): A short 5-minute walk. Exit the station via the Piccadilly exit, turn left, and walk towards Piccadilly Circus. You’ll find us just past the Royal Academy of Arts. Piccadilly Circus Station (Bakerloo and Piccadilly lines): About a 5-minute walk. Take the Regent Street (South Side) exit and head west along Piccadilly.
By Bus Routes 6, 9, 14, 19, 22, 38, 139, and 159 all stop nearby. Look for stops along Piccadilly or Regent Street. Popular nearby stops include “Green Park Station” and “St James’s Church Piccadilly.”
By Train The closest major train station is Charing Cross, which is a 15-minute walk. Victoria Station is also nearby, about 20 minutes away by foot or a quick bus journey on Route 38.
For details on timetables, routes and accessibility on public transport visit Transport for London Journey Planner
By Bike There are several cycle docking stations nearby, including one at Green Park Station. Bike racks are also available near the church.
By Car There is no visitor parking at St James’s. The nearest paid parking is in Soho, approximately 7 mins walk away but has limited capacity.
Wheelchair user passengers
Wheelchair users being dopped off by cab or using buses are advised to alight on the Piccadilly side of the site where there is step free access (more detail below)
St James’s Church, 197 Piccadilly, London W1J 9LL
Take a 360° interactive virtual tour of St James’s Church with stimulating original commentary by our community, clergy and renowned experts.
St James’s aspires to be a place where all can belong, and where every person’s gifts and identities are welcome and celebrated. We are working on improving the accessibility of services and events at St James’s in the church building and online.
Step-free access
There is step-free access from Piccadilly into the courtyard, and from the courtyard into the church. The main body of the church is step-free with a wide central aisle. There are spaces for wheelchairs towards the front of the church.
There is no step-free access available through from the Jermyn Street entrance. The church offices, including the church hall, reception and meeting rooms are not wheelchair accessible.
The Southwood garden at present has limited access via six steps (without a handrail). Once in the garden, accessible paths and bench seating are available.
The Caravan free counselling service is located in a caravan on a paved terrace at the top of these steps. However, access to the caravan itself are via four steep steps with a single handrail. To find out how the service might be able to accommodate your needs, please contact them via their website.
Improvements to ensure step-free access are planned as part of The Wren Project.
Access for deaf or hard of hearing people
There is a loop system in the church and a PA system. The sound quality is best on the ground floor area of the church. The hearing loop works best in the centre of the nave and is a bit weaker elsewhere in the church. Our sound system is old but we do our best with it and are planning improvements. Please note: while the works to the organ and restoration of the South Door are in progress, there have been some problems with the usual operation of the hearing loop.
The acoustics vary in different areas of the church in terms of ease of hearing. We can advise on the best areas to be seated for services or events.
Please contact associaterector@sjp.org.uk if you wish to know more details about either of these.
There are screens in the gallery to assist with poor sight lines.
There are no sign language interpreters at St James’s.
Printed material
There are large-print orders of service available for our Sunday Eucharist and Sanctuary Eucharist on Tuesdays, and we use QR codes for orders of service to be accessed online.
Toilets
There is a step-free accessible toilet for people with disabilities, which also includes baby changing facilities. The toilets are open during services, concerts and events. They can also be accessed at other times by those with an NKS Radar Key.
Online
We broadcast many of our services and concerts on our YouTube channel. Many of our events take place on Zoom throughout the year, including services and courses. Many of these videos are published with auto-generated captions. For those videos that aren’t, remember that you can click on the “CC” button on the YouTube interface to activate the on-board closed captions.
If you require any further information or assistance about disabilities and accessibility at St James’s, please email Revd Dr Ayla Lepine, the Associate Rector: associaterector@sjp.org.uk
Security
We are determined to keep our church, courtyard and gardens open seven days a week in our central London location. In order to maintain a safe environment for all our visitors throughout the year, St James’s employs a team of professional security officers to keep all of us safe. We recognise their presence in a place of worship may make some feel uncomfortable. But, in fact, ‘policing’ of churches has an ancient history. You can learn more about this and why a security presence is necessary in a Thought for the Week written by Chris Davies our Head Verger here.
Most of our security officers have worked for St James’s for some time and all security staff understand the importance of friendly, community-centred working that makes everyone feel safe and welcome. If you experience anything that makes you feel unsafe or notice something untoward happening to others, ask them for help at any time.
Cameras
St James’s has CCTV security cameras installed to cover external areas of the church site. Security cameras are not deployed inside the church to respect your privacy of worship. However, we live stream certain services, concerts and events. Recordings of these are later published on our YouTube channel. If you do not wish to be incidentally caught on camera, let on-site staff know. They will be able to direct you to areas where you can be seated to remain off-camera at all times.
Safeguarding
Safeguarding is a vital part of community life at St James’s. Our Parish Safeguarding Officer is Charley Matthews. Our Children’s Champion is Frith Taylor. The Safeguarding Policy is on our website here. If you would like to contact our Safeguarding Team, please email: safeguarding@sjp.org.uk
St James’s food market operates waste separation and food waste recycling.
From local and traditional specialities, to international delights, our market proudly showcases a distinct selection of the capital’s small businesses offering the finest street food. The food market is run in collaboration with StreetFoodish. StreetFoodish has operated since 2009, supporting over 200 London small hospitality businesses that reflect the capital’s diverse food culture, offering delicious street food to the highest food safety standards.
Vendors at St James’s StreetFoodish market alternate regularly providing a greater weekly variety of world cuisines. You can regularly find Moroccan, Korean, Thai, Italian, Sri Lankan, South African, Greek, Italian and numerous others cuisines on offer.
Redemption Roasters
St James’s partnered with Redemption Roasters in December 2022 because it’s a great fit for the church’s social justice values. The café’s purpose is to reduce reoffending rates for people who’ve been through the prison system, through its unique coffee business model. The roastery is in a prison, some of the staff in the cafes have been through the prison system, and the delicious coffee is a good way to support positive social transformation here in London and beyond.
Redemption Roasters has one step from both the courtyard entrance and 2 steps from Jermyn Street entrance. A ramp can be requested from inside the café using a doorbell on the right side of the Jermyn Street café entrance.
Please check their website linked about for opening times.
