Francis Greenway, the convict architect is remembered on a plaque by the door which honours him and 'the artisans and labourers who erected' the church. It's not often you stop to think of all the hands and minds involved in creating a building like this.
Consecrated in 1824 after being originally intended as a court house, St James' is less visually dominating from the outside than the great cathedrals of St Andrew's or St Mary's. Inside it's surprisingly large, and as the doors shut behind you the traffic becomes but a buzz. Above the altar is an amazing half dome covered in plain gold tiles like a minimalist versian of a Byzantine mosaic. To the right, in the Chapel of the Holy Spirit has an amazing floor to ceiling modern stained glass wall by David Wright, done as a bicentennial celebration. It's truly beautiful, although I couldn't get a close look as I didn't want to disturb the prayer group in there. When they finished a lady came out and glared at me, as I clearly was marked out somehow as Not High Anglican. Or Anglican At All for than matter.
St James' hosts a lot of musical performances, check their website for details, many free lunchtime concerts on Wednesdays. The memorials on the walls always spark real flights of the imagination too. I spotted one dedicated to 'Sarah Catherine ... who departed this life on 4th Feb 1853, at sea'. She was travelling from Sydney to England is is remembered here by her husband, the Comissary General. What gets me is that the exact latitude and longitude are recorded, as if she was not completely lost. read more