St James' Church, Stretham, is an active Anglican church in the village of Stretham, Cambridgeshire, England. Founded in the 12th century, it was heavily restored by the architect J. P. St Aubyn in 1876. English Heritage, a body responsible for preserving historical sites in the United Kingdom, assessed the church a Grade II* listed building. The turret clock on the east face of the tower was also made in 1876, by JB Joyce & Co of Whitchurch, Shropshire, and still keeps good time. The church has a ring of six bells hung for change ringing. Regular ringing resumed at the church in June 2011 after several years' silence. St James' is one of eight churches in the Ely Team Ministry.

History

St James' Church stands in the centre of the small village of Stretham, which has a population of 1,685. The village lies south-south-west of Ely in Cambridgeshire, England, about by road from London. The earliest written record of this still active church is in the Liber Eliensis, a 12th-century history of the Isle of Ely. In 1137, during Bishop Nigel's (c. 1100–1169) time, Anglo-Saxon conspirators were said to have met in Stretham church. Fragments of the east chancel are known to be from about the 12th century, corroborating the record of the church's existence in that period.

Lancelot Ridley (d. 1576), appointed one of the first Six Preachers of Canterbury Cathedral in 1541 and a rector of Stretham from 1560, was buried in the parish.Shaw (2004) ODNB Lancelot Ridley Mark Ridley (1560–1624), one of Lancelot's sons, became the physician to the Tsar of Russia.Stone (2004) ODNB Mark Ridley

In 1751, Francis Blomefield, in his Collectanea Cantabrigiensia, recorded St James' as having a square tower, with four bells and a clock. The north aisle was leaded and there was a chantry chapel at the east end with a screen. He concludes this to be the Chancel of the Resurrection. At this time, the south aisle, nave and chancel were also recorded as leaded.

The church was restored very heavily in 1876 by the architect J. P. St Aubyn at a cost of £4,400 (equivalent to £Using RPI as describe in Choosing the Best Indicator to Measure Relative Worth in ). The north and south transepts were added at this time as well as the whole south aisle of the nave, the chancel, a clerestory and a new porch.

St James' Church, Stretham, is an historic building protected by acts of Parliament. Originally, the church was listed Grade A in a publicly available register on 5 February 1952 until a resurvey and regrading by English Heritage on 19 August 1988. Since then, it is listed as a Grade II* building, which makes the church particularly important to the country's heritage and warrants every effort to preserve it. The church recordsBaptism 1558–present, banns 1759–1963, marriages 1558–1952, and burial 1558–1956 (Church of England only) are kept in the County Records Office, Cambridge.Notice inside porch Since 1990, St James' Church has had an ecumenical agreement with the Stretham Methodists.Copy of agreement displayed on the notice board inside the porch

St James' is part of the Ely Team Ministry, a group of eight churches: St Mary's, Ely; St Peter's, Ely; St Leonard's, Little Downham; St Michael and All Angels, Chettisham; St George's, Little Thetford; St James, Stretham; Holy Cross, Stuntney; and St Peter's, Prickwillow. The Prickwillow church was closed for worship in 2008; it is part of the parish of St Mary's, Ely.

Architecture

Exterior The building is mainly 14th-century although the east wall of the chancel contains remnants of 12th-century material, including two clamped buttresses. The ashlar-faced tower is 14th-century with angled buttresses north and south. The west window has three lights with flowing tracery. The clock on the east face of the tower, dated 1876, is by JB Joyce & Co of Whitchurch, Shropshire, the oldest firm of tower clockmakers in the world; it is wound weekly by the churchwardens.

The east wall of the chancery has one window with five lights (stained glass panels) with tracery above in a Gothic style. The church floodlighting is supported by funds from the National Lottery church floodlighting trustPlaque inside porch

Interior

There is a lowered sill on the southeast window of the chancel for a three-seat (sedilia); a cabinet (aumbry) is along the east of the north wall with an arched tomb recess to the west of it with an inscribed tomb lid which commemorates Nicholas de Kyngestone, late 13th-century rector. A 1440 oak screen to the chancel is very finely carved. Lying in the chancel is a black marble slab that dates back to 1667; it is a memorial, commemorating Anne Brunsell, sister of Sir Christopher Wren and wife of the rector of the time. The pipe rack organ, built in 1886 by J W Walker and sons of London, is in a chamber built onto the south wall of the chancery. Paddy Benson of Norman & Beard, carried out a reconstruction and enlargement of the organ in 1907 at a cost of £350 (equivalent to £ in ); it was converted to electric blowing sometime after 1937.

Bells Until 1952, the church had a ring of five bells hung for change ringing; and at this time, a sixth bell was added and one bell was recast, replacing a 1727 bell by Henry Penn of Peterborough. The oldest bell as of 2010, is the number four bell of 1796 by Joseph Eayre; the newest are of 1951 by John Taylor & Co of Loughborough. This set of six bells are rung from a first-floor ringing chamber above the recently constructed servery and toilets.

According to Canon K W H Felstead's records, now maintained by the Central Council of Church Bell Ringers, there have been 78 peals rung at St James' Church, Stretham, since 1952.

Rectors

+ Rectors of Stretham and Little Thetford, Cambridgeshire, 1222– From To Name Comment 1222 Arnulf 1276 Wymbisse, Thomas de 1302 Dogelly, Richardus de 1338 Hatherston William de; Bagthorpe, Nicholas deSub deacon 1351 Seyr, Robert; Thomas Darrant 1366 Stratton, Robert de Prebendary of Masam at York Minster and prebendary of Biggleswade, Lincoln Cathedral 1383 Osgodby, William de By exchange with Thomas de Dalby 1383 Lindesay, John 1407 Burgess, William 1415 Braunston, John; Spalding, William 1458 Redman, Richard Distinct from Richard Redman, who became bishop of Ely 1488 Ryplingham, John 1488 Ryplingham, Richard 1523 1554 Ryseley, Richardusalso Rysseley, Richardus 1554 1559 Young, Johannesalso Younge, John 1559 1570 Ridley, Lancelottialso Rydley LanceletFather of Mark Ridley (physician) 1570 1592 Parker, John also Parker, Johannes Archdeacon of Ely 1592 1598 Jones, Edwardusalso Jones, Edwin 1598 1621 Lawrence, Willimusalso Lawrence, WilliamThis gives dates 1598–1621, but tentatively 1621 Brownrigg, Ralp Afterwards Bishop of Exeter 1623 1638 Felton, Nicholaus Deprived by the Earl of Manchester and Parliamentary Visitor 1643 Clarke Matthew; Car, Robert Rector in the time of Richard Cromwell (son of Oliver) 1662 1678 Brunsell, Henricusalso Brunsell, Henry and Brumsell, HenryHe married Anne, a sister of Christopher Wren. 1678 1690 Oldham, Richardalso Oldham, Richardus 1690 1691 Kemp, Robertalso Kemp, Robertus and Kempe, Robert 1696 1727 Perkins, Ralphalso Perkins, Radulphus 1727 1771 Thomas, Charlesalso Thomas, Carolus 1771 1784 Brown, Jamesalso Browne, James 1784 1802 Swaine, John 1802 1812 Morgan, Caesar 1812 1818 Law, HenryAs a JP he was a figure of the Ely and Littleport riots 1816. 1818 1827 Sparke, John Henry Canon of Ely; he was eldest son of Bowyer Sparke. 1827 1869 Baber, Henry Herveyalso Baber, Henry Harvey Keeper of printed books at British Museum 1869 1884 Pigot, Hugh Manchester Guardian obituary 1885 1906 Cockshott, John William Hon. Canon of Ely. Times notice of appointment. 1906 1945 Stitt, S Stuart Times notice of appointment following resignation of J W Cockshott; Times notice of death 31 July 1945. 1945 1952 Cowgill, John E Lambeth Palace recordsDeputy Archivist , Lambeth Palace Library, London SE1 7JU; 8 – September 2010 1952 1955 Loughborough, George W Times notice of promotion 1955 1965 Foulds, Dennis Times notice of appointment 1966 1974 Hornby John H Times notice of appointment 1974 1993 Askey, John Stuart 1994 1998 Raby, MalcolmFrom 1994 incumbents are known as team vicars 1999 2005 Sansom, John 2005 2009 Scott, Pauline Claire Michalak 2009 — Harper, Margaret

Records before 1523Village website have not been confirmed; they have been checked (other than minor spelling differences) with the painted board in the south-west corner of the nave.

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