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The area known as Angell Town was originally farmland, developed for housing in the 1850s. The site of the church of Saint John the Evangelist was donated by Benedict John Angell Angell in 1852, while the building costs were met by William Stone of Herne Hill. The church was constructed by 1853, designed by Benjamin Ferrey in a Gothic style. A parish was assigned in the same year. A vestry was added in 1882. The building was damaged by fire in 1947 but was subsequently restored.

From: 'Brixton: The Angell estate', Survey of London: volume 26: Lambeth: Southern area (1956), pp. 125-131.

St John's parish was united with St Bartholomew, Stamford Hill in September 1975. St John's Church was declared redundant and was subsequently demolished. It was replaced by St John's Worship Centre which served as a mission church in the parish of St Bartholomew, Stamford Hill. In April 1980 St John's Worship Centre was transferred to the parish of Holy Trinity, High Cross, Tottenham.

Saint John the Divine originated in a mission established in a school, in response to rapid population growth in this area of Kennington from the 1860s onwards. In 1867-1868 a new building was constructed, with a ground floor room acting as the church and the upper floor as a school. In 1871 a site on Vassall Road was obtained, designs for a permanent church were commissioned from architect George Edmund Street, and building began. Part of the church was completed by 1873 but completion was delayed until an anonymous gift of £10,000 allowed the construction of the nave to go ahead. The church was consecrated in November 1874. A tower and spire were added in 1888. The church has been described as a masterpiece of the Gothic revival movement. The building was damaged by bombing during the Second World War, although restoration was begun in 1955.

Source of information: 'Brixton: Lambeth Wick estate', Survey of London: volume 26: Lambeth: Southern area (1956), pp. 108-122.

The present church was constructed in 1935. It is part of the Deanery of Wandsworth; the Archdeaconry of Wandsworth; and the Episcopal Area of Kingston.

The church of Saint John the Divine was built between 1883 and 1900, in two stages. The architect of the first stage (the chancel) was R.J. Withers and the second stage (nave and aisles) was E.H. Elphick. The church was closed in 1983 and sold for residential use. The parish was merged with Saint Mary, Balham (P95/MRY3) to form the parish of Saint Mary and Saint John the Divine.

History of the united parishes of Saint Mary Aldermary, Saint Thomas Apostle, Saint Antholin Budge Row and Saint John the Baptist Walbrook:

The parish of Saint Mary Aldermary is 11th century in origin. The parish church was rebuilt after the Great Fire of 1666 and, in 1670, the parish was united with Saint Thomas Apostle.

Saint John the Baptist, Walbrook, was constructed around 1150 on the banks of the Walbrook stream, which ran from Finsbury through the City to the Thames. It was destroyed during the Great Fire and not rebuilt.

The parish church of Saint Antholin Budge Row was also rebuilt after the Great Fire and, in 1670, the parish was united with Saint John the Baptist Walbrook. Finally, the four parishes were united with each other in 1873 and the church of Saint Antholin was demolished the following year.

The Victorian church of Saint John the Baptist was badly damaged during the Second World War. The ruins were demolished after the war and the parish was united with Saint James, Plumstead (P97/JS). A new, but smaller, church was built on the same site in 1959 to serve the new parish of Saint John with Saint James and Saint Paul, Plumstead.

The parish of Pinner was originally a chapelry within the parish of Harrow which was a peculiar of the Archbishop of Canterbury. In 1546 the advowson and tithes passed to Christ Church, Oxford. Pinner was served by the Vicar of Harrow or his curate. During the 17th century benefactions of land established an income for a curate at Pinner. Although Pinner achieved some measure of independence from Harrow by the end of the 17th century, it was not until 1766 after a grant from the Queen Anne's Bounty, that Pinner became an independent parish.

A chapel was in existence at Pinner by 1234-40 and the plan and part of the North East wall of the Church may be 13th century. However, most of the building dates from the early 14th century as the chapel was rebuilt before its consecration in 1321. The tower was added in the 15th century and alterations and repairs were carried out in the 19th and earlier 20th centuries. The renovation of 1880 was carried out by JL Pearson.

Source of information: A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 4: Harmondsworth, Hayes, Norwood with Southall, Hillingdon with Uxbridge, Ickenham, Northolt, Perivale, Ruislip, Edgware, Harrow with Pinner (1971). Available online.

The church of Saint John the Baptist originated in the Kentish Town Chapel, which moved to Highgate Road in 1784. The building was designed by James Wyatt in a neo-classical style. Enlargement of the building was needed in 1817 and then in 1843-45. The church was assigned a separate parish in 1868. By this date it was known as Saint John the Baptist, although it was never officially dedicated. The church was declared redundant in 1993 and is now used by the Christ Apostolic Church.

The church of Saint John the Baptist was constructed between 1871 and 1872, designed by William Wigginton. A parish was assigned in 1873. The building was damaged by enemy action in 1940 and services were moved to the church hall. The church was declared redundant in 1971 and was demolished in 1981.

From: 'Islington: Churches', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 8: Islington and Stoke Newington parishes (1985), pp. 88-99.

The church of Saint John the Baptist, on St John's Road, Isleworth, was opened in 1856, on land given by the Duke of Northumberland with funds towards the building. The original endowment had consisted of £100 a year from the living of the vicar of Isleworth, who was, and remains, the patron.

From: 'Heston and Isleworth: Churches', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 3: Shepperton, Staines, Stanwell, Sunbury, Teddington, Heston and Isleworth, Twickenham, Cowley, Cranford, West Drayton, Greenford, Hanwell, Harefield and Harlington (1962), pp. 122-129. Available online.

Saint John the Baptist was consecrated in June 1826, having been constructed in a Classical style to designs by Francis Edwards. The parish has been united with Christ Church, New North Road, Hoxton, Shoreditch.

The earliest reference to a church in Hillingdon is the grant by Brian Fitz Count, Lord of Colham Manor, of Hillingdon Church to Evesham Abbey, Worcestershire shortly after 1100. Nothing remains of that building. The present church is built mainly of flint rubble with stone dressings. The oldest part of the building is the re-set chancel arch which has ""stiff-leaf"" foliage capitals of the thirteenth century. The church was thoroughly restored by George Gilbert Scott in 1847/8 when the nave was lengthened, the transepts were added and the present east end, including the chancel with flanking chapels, was built. The building was restored in 1902 and again in 1953-5, and a new north-east vestry was added in 1964. By 1819 the churchyard had become full and it was enlarged by incorporating part of Coney Green on the south side. It again became full and in 1867 it was closed to burials in new graves, although burials continued of family members in existing graves. The last such burial was in 1948.

When using the earliest registers it may be helpful to be aware of certain aspects of the law relating to parish record keeping during the period of the Civil War and the Commonwealth 1642-1660. On 6 December 1644 (taking effect 4 January 1645) an ordinance required that each parish should record the dates of baptisms, plus the dates of birth and the parents names. Each burial entry was to record also the date of death. Few parishes observed these directions. An Act of Parliament of 24 August 1653 (taking effect 29 September 1653) which legalised civil marriage took away from ministers custody of the registers and the solemnisation of the marriage ceremony. This latter duty was passed to the Justices. The registers were to be kept by a new secular official, the 'Parish Register', elected by all the rate payers in a parish, and sworn before, and approved by, a magistrate. At St John, Hillingdon, the appointment of the Register (Robert Newington, the parish clerk) is recorded in DRO/110/002 on 19 September 1653. All registration functions were entrusted to these officials. A common feature of parish registers at this time (and which occurs in those of St John, Hillingdon) is the entry of dates of birth and publication of marriage, as well as, or instead of, those of baptism and marriage. The marriage ordinance was confirmed in 1657 but the declaration that marriages, other than those conducted by the Justices, were illegal was omitted. In many places, from then until the end of the Commonwealth, marriages were celebrated by magistrate and Register jointly. The effects of this upheaval can be seen in the haphazard nature of the entries from this period in DRO/110/001. Later entries are usually duplicated in DRO/110/002, sometimes with slightly altered spellings.

The medieval parish of Hampton comprised the Town of Hampton and the Hamlet of Hampton Wick. Most of the land within the parish was held by copyhold of the Lord of the Manor of Hampton Court ie. the King. The relationship between the Hamlet and the Town tended to be rather strained for a period of over 200 years, and on a number of occasions the two resorted to taking legal proceedings against each other.

The Church of Saint John the Baptist, Hampton Wick was built in the early 1830s, at the same time as the old parish church of Saint Mary, Hampton was being rebuilt. Saint John's was intended to be a chapel of ease to Saint Mary's but upon completion, the district of Saint John was made a separate parish. Separation into two ecclesiastical districts did not end the dispute between Hampton and Hampton Wick. The records show, for example, that there was much discontent over the resultant division of the proceeds from the Hampton Parochial Charities.

The Church of Saint John the Baptist stands on the site of the Priory of Saint John of Jerusalem, which was partially demolished at the Dissolution. Part of the building was converted into a private chapel, which was purchased in 1721 and enlarged into a church. The buyer offered the new church to Queen Anne's Commissioners who bought it and made it into a parish church, consecrated in 1723. The parish was taken from the Parish of Saint James, Clerkenwell. In 1931 the church became the church of the Order of Saint John, who run the St John Ambulance Service.

St John's was built by private subscription, on land given by Joseph Baxendale in 1832, as a chapel of ease to Finchley. In 1836 it became a district chapelry and in 1876 a parish. The church was enlarged in 1879 and 1898. It has no burial ground.

The church of Saint John of Wapping was constructed in 1617 as a chapel of ease to Saint Mary, Whitechapel (P93/MRY1). It was assigned a separate parish in 1694. The building was replaced in 1756-60 on a site opposite the old church. Most of the building was destroyed during the Second World War; however, the tower survived and was restored. The parish was united with Saint Peter, London Docks (P93/PET2).

The Chapel of Saint John of Jerusalem, a chapel of ease in the ancient parish of Hackney, was built in 1806 on land which later became the site of Saint Andrew's Mission Room in Well Street. In 1835 it was assigned as the Parish Church of South Hackney. The present church of Saint John of Jerusalem was substituted for it and was consecrated in July 1848. The church has this dedication as the Knights of Saint John of Jerusalem held large possessions of land in the parish in medieval times.

South Hackney Parochial Schools were established by Deed of Settlement of 31 March 1834. Girls and Infant Schools were added to the boys school and later combined as a Mixed and Infant School. In 1939 the school was reorganised into a Junior Mixed and Infant School. The school premises were destroyed in the Second World War. A new building was built on the site and reopened in the autumn of 1956. It was renamed Saint John of Jerusalem Church of England Primary School and continues to date in Ainsworth Road, Well Street.

The parish was united with Saint Olave in 1918. The Church was damaged in the Second World War; from September 1940 marriages were solemnized in the Vestry Hall. The last marriage register was closed in October 1956 when the parishes of Saint John Horselydown and Saint Olave were united with Saint Mary Magdalen Bermondsey.

A local act of Parliament, passed in 1800 (39 and 40 Geo III c.35), set up a Board of Guardians to administer poor relief. The Board consisted of the resident County magistrate, the incumbent, Churchwardens and overseers, and the principal inhabitants of Hampstead. By an order of the Poor Law Commissioners of 7 January 1837, the district was incorporated into Edmonton Union for purposes of poor relief on 3 February 1837. After numerous protests, Hampstead again became independent, being made a separate Union in 1848.

The records listed here cover the period of the independent parish prior to 1800, that of the Guardians from 1800 to 1837, and the period of the inclusion in the Edmonton Union from 1837 to 1848.

The parish of Hampstead originated in a chapel established to serve the manor of Hampstead when it still lay within the parish of Hendon. This chapel is first mentioned in 1244. In 1365 the church and graveyard at Hampstead were dedicated by the Bishop of London, and the church is referred to as a parish church in subsequent documents. The advowson was held by the manor. The medieval chapel was dedicated to Saint Mary. The building was demolished in 1745 as it had fallen into ruin and was unsafe. The new church was consecrated in 1747 and was dedicated to Saint John. It was designed by John Sanderson.

From: A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 9: Hampstead, Paddington (1989), pp. 145-152.

The earliest building on the site dated to around 1275. From the fourteenth century onwards the church was dedicated to Saint Augustine, but was changed to Saint John after 1660. The present benefice, created in 1971, is called Hackney, the church remaining dedicated to Saint John the Baptist.

By the late 1770s it was clear from the growing population of the area that a new and larger church was necessary. The new church was consecrated on 15th July 1797 with a wooden box-like structure. The old church was demolished except for the tower, which was left intact to hold the bells. The church was subsequently rebuilt in Portland stone and a tower added in 1814.

The church suffered only light damage during World War II but was badly damaged by fire in 1955. Following extensive repairs it was re-consecrated in 1958. The old 16th century tower of St Augustine still stands to the south.

Herbert Wilson, the rector of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, the parish church of Harlington, founded a mission church at Dawley in 1910. It stood on the west side of Dawley Road and was replaced in 1934 by the church of Saint Jerome.

From: 'Harlington: Churches', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 3: Shepperton, Staines, Stanwell, Sunbury, Teddington, Heston and Isleworth, Twickenham, Cowley, Cranford, West Drayton, Greenford, Hanwell, Harefield and Harlington (1962), pp. 270-273. Available online.

The church of Saint James, West Streatham, was begun in 1909 and completed by 1910, with the chancel and spire added 1914-1915. The church was damaged during the Second World War and use was made of the Saint James Hall, Welham Road, until repairs could be made. Further alterations took place in 1970.

Saint James' Chapel was consecrated in 1791 to serve the adjoining burial ground of Saint James', Piccadilly, acting as a proprietary chapel. One of the first people to be buried here was Lord George Gordon, instigator of the Gordon Riots of 1780. In 1852 the graveyard was closed and some of the land became a public garden (St James Garden). After the closure of the burial ground it was sold in 1871 to the Saint Pancras Church Trustees to become the parish church of the new ecclesiastical district of Saint James. It was demolished in 1964 and the parish was united with Saint Pancras (P90/PAN1).

In 1937 the parish of Saint James, Shoreditch, was merged with the parish of Saint Michael, Mark Street, Shoreditch, and the church was demolished. The Shakespeare memorial window was transferred to Saint Leonard's, Shoreditch, but was later destroyed in the Second World War.

Saint James' was the first church built in Stepney by the Bishop Blomfield Metropolitan Churches Fund. Designed by Edward Laoidge, it was consecrated in August 1833. The church was gutted by incendiary bombs on September 7th 1940. In 1951 the parish was united to Saint Paul's, Shadwell (P93/PAU3) and the ruins taken down. The site was added to a public garden which had already been laid out in the old graveyard.

The church of Saint James was constructed in 1855. It was assigned a parish in 1878. The church was closed in the 1960s and later sold and developed as flats. The parish was united with Saint John the Baptist (P97/JNB1) to form the parish of Saint John with Saint James and Saint Paul, Plumstead.

The church of Saint James, Pentonville, was founded in 1778 as Pentonville Chapel, and was used as a chapel of ease to Saint James, Clerkenwell. It was not made a separate parish church until 1854 when a parish was assigned. The church served as the official church of the International Circus Clown's Club and held an annual service for circus members. A memorial to famous circus clown Joseph Grimaldi was erected in the graveyard after his death in 1837.

The church was declared redundant in May 1978 and the parish was united with All Saints, Battle Bridge, Caledonian Road. On the union of the parishes of All Saints with Saint James and Saint Andrew, Thornhill Square, Barnsbury in 1980, most of the former parish of Saint James was transferred to the parish of Saint Silas, Penton Street.

The church of Saint James is the ancient parish church of Paddington. It existed before 1222, as a chapel. The first parish church was probably dedicated to Saint Katherine and was demolished in 1678; to be replaced by the church dedicated to Saint James. Between 1791 and 1843 the church of Saint Mary, Paddington Green, acted as the parish church. The church of Saint James was demolished in 1791. A new church of Saint James was constructed in 1841-43, enlarged in 1881. From 1885 onwards the ancient parish was divided up into smaller parishes to reflect the population increase in this area.

St James' Church was built as a chapel of ease to St Mary, Hornsey for the benefit of the inhabitants of Muswell Hill. It was consecrated on 25 July 1842 and in 1843 it was assigned a consolidated chapelry. The original chapel soon became too small for the growing population of Muswell Hill. It was enlarged in 1874 and further extensions were necessary by the 1890s. In 1900 the old church was demolished and a much larger church was built partly on the site of the old church and partly on the grounds of the the vicarage. The new church was completed in 1910 with the construction of the tower and spire. The church was badly damaged by bombing on 19 April 1941. Temporary repairs allowed the congregation to return to St James' Church in April 1944. The church was restored after the War and was rededicated by the Bishop of London on 24 October 1952. The daughter parish of St Matthew, Muswell Hill, formed out of St James' parish in 1939, was reunited with St James in 1979.

The parish of Saint James was formed in 1875. The church was a small brick structure in a Romanesque style. In 1922 the parish was united with Saint Mary-the-Less, Lambeth. The district was ultimately assigned to the parish of Saint Anselm, Kennington Cross.

The parish of Saint James was established in 1839 with the name Saint James the Apostle. The name was changed to Saint James in 1846. The church was constructed in 1837 in a neo-classical style, situated on Victoria Road (now Chillingworth Road). The building was damaged in 1944 by enemy action, and restored as a parish hall built inside the old church; the derelict roof remains. The parish united with Saint Mary Magdalene's in 1954.

From: 'Islington: Churches', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 8: Islington and Stoke Newington parishes (1985), pp. 88-99.

Saint James parish was established in 1845, and enlarged in 1851. The church was constructed in 1854.

The ecclesiastical district of Hampton Hill was formed in 1864 from the parish of St Mary the Virgin, Hampton. The church of St James, Hampton Hill was built in 1863 and enlarged in 1878. The church tower and spire were added in 1887.

St James' was a consolidated chapelry formed on 14 August 1880 from the ecclesiastical districts of Christ Church, Turnham Green, St George, Old Brentford and a small part of South Acton. The church was erected in 1886/7 and consecrated on 8 November 1887. The living was in the gift of the vicar of St George, Old Brentford. Since 1987 it has been part of the United Parish of Brentford.

The church of Saint James originated in a mission established in the area in 1864. The church was constructed in 1868 on the corner of Moore Park Road and Maxwell Road. It burned down in the 1970s and the parish was amalgamated with that of Saint John, Walham Green.

St James' Church was erected by the Commissioners for Building New Churches and assigned a particular district in 1834 which became a separate parish in 1845. This comprised all that part of the parish of Enfield to the east of an imaginary line drawn 150 yards to the west of the London to Ware turnpike road. St Matthew, Ponders End was built as a chapel of ease to St James in 1877/8 and became a separate parish in 1899. St George's Mission Church, Enfield Wash, was in existence by 1886. It was replaced by a permanent church built 1900-1906 and was assigned a parish in 1901. When the Royal Small Arms Factory Chapel closed in 1921, it was replaced by the church of St Peter and St Paul, Enfield Lock, a chapel of ease to St James. A new church of St Peter and St Paul was consecrated in 1969 and assigned a parish.

Mission work was carried out in rented halls in Edmonton until a church was built in 1850 on Fore Street. A parish was assigned to this church in 1851. It was first dedicated to Saint Pancras but this was later changed to Saint James. The church carried out active mission work, opening several mission halls in the area.

In 1847 John Snell left 1 acre in his will, to be the site of a Church of England school for the poor. A school for boys was therefore opened by Saint James's church in 1851. Girls' and infants' departments were added in 1871. It was rebuilt in 1963.

From: 'Edmonton: Churches' and 'Edmonton: Education', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 5: Hendon, Kingsbury, Great Stanmore, Little Stanmore, Edmonton Enfield, Monken Hadley, South Mimms, Tottenham (1976), pp. 181-187 and pp. 196-203 (available online).

Mission work was carried out in rented halls in Edmonton until a church was built in 1850 on Fore Street. A parish was assigned to this church in 1851. It was first dedicated to Saint Pancras but this was later changed to Saint James. The church carried out active mission work, opening several mission halls in the area.

From: 'Edmonton: Churches' and 'Edmonton: Education', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 5: Hendon, Kingsbury, Great Stanmore, Little Stanmore, Edmonton Enfield, Monken Hadley, South Mimms, Tottenham (1976), pp. 181-187 (available online).

Saint James has its origins as the Mission Church of Saint John, founded in 1889. Services were held in an iron building in Alexandra Street and a Mission Hall in Talbot Road. Under Reverend Evan Jones, money was raised to construct a larger building for services. A site was purchased in West Ealing by the Bishop of London's Fund and a foundation stone laid in 1903. In 1905, a parish was specifically created for Saint James. The red brick building designed in a Gothic style by W. Pywell was finally completed in 1909.

From the mid-1960s, the numbers attending Saint James declined. In 1984, the church closed and services moved to Saint John. By 1990, the building had become derelict and was threatened with demolition. In reaction to this, a small group from Saint John's Church decided to try to save the church. After many years of building work, Saint James reopened in 2004.

From: http://www.stjamesealing.org.uk/history-new-and-old/stjames-beginnings/

Saint James, Duke's Place, was established in 1622. Unlike the parish jurisdictions of Saint Andrew Undershaft and Saint Katherine Cree, that of Saint James Duke's Place was unusual. In 1623 the parish church was consecrated on a site in Aldgate Ward in the City of London. This area, until the Reformation, had been part of the monastic precinct of Holy Trinity Aldgate, and had a semi-manorial leet jury (with powers of paving etc.) and thus claimed the status of "liberty", and a partial exemption from Aldgate Ward In the 17th and 18th centuries, Saint James Duke's Place also claimed an exemption from ecclesiastical jurisdiction and became infamous for "irregular" marriages, where couples could be married without licence, banns or parental consent. The site of Saint James Duke's Place is now occupied by the Sir John Cass School; the church was demolished in 1874.

The parish of Saint Andrew Undershaft was united with Saint Mary Axe in 1561. In 1954 the parish was united with the parishes of Saint Katherine Cree and Saint James Duke's Place, which had united in 1873. The churches of Saint Andrew Undershaft and Saint Katherine Cree still stand.

Saint Mary's Nunnery of Augustinian canonesses, founded in 1140, was dissolved in 1539 and the church converted to the parish church of Clerkenwell. In the 1780s the building was declared ruinous and demolished.

The present church was built 1788-92 by the architect James Carr, on the site of the choir of the mediaeval nunnery. It is regarded as one of the most respected Palladian architects of the period. It is built of stock brick and has a stone west tower. The steeple was rebuilt in 1849 by William Pettit Griffith and the Church was further restored 1883-84. In 1978 the church was redecorated and the organ restored to its 18th century design.

The church was described in 1906 as 'a very dingy-looking building of earth-brick with round-headed windows'. The former burial ground was opened as a public ground in 1897, while the crypt was converted into a hall in 1912.

The church of Saint James was constructed in the 1850s, while the parish was assigned in 1854. A new church building was constructed in 1957-58.

In 1821, the land which forms part of the churchyard was bought and a generous grant from the Commissioners of the Fund was secured. The Chairman of the Committee was William Nottidge, a wool-stapler; with him were two brothers, William George and Richard King Watts, tanners; John Harcourt, Thomas Keeton and Martin Carter, all builders, Robert Rich, who commanded the Bermondsey Volunteers and Dr William Harrison, one of the two Chaplains of Sat Saviour's, Southwark.

With a liberal grant from the parishioners and a gift from the commissioners, the contract for the building of the church, costing £21,412.19.5, was signed. The first stone was laid on 21st February 1827. The church was consecrated by Dr Sumner, Bishop of Winchester, on May 7th 1829. Initially the church encountered some financial difficulty, however by 1840 the last loan had been repaid and the church was free of debt.

The parish of Saint James was formed in 1840, from part of the parish of Saint Mary Magdalene. The creation of new parish in the Bermondsey area was necessitated by a great increase in population. The advowson of the parish was held by the rector of Bermondsey.

During the 1880s Alperton was served by missions from Saint John the Evangelist, Wembley. In 1890 the vicar, who had long deplored the 'careless state' of many in the village, persuaded WR Lane, a wandering missionary, to set up his tent in Alperton. It was replaced in 1893 by a mission room and in 1896 by a corrugated iron church, which was administered by the vicar of Wembley and a curate until a separate parish, Saint James, Alperton, was created in 1904. A church built by WA Pite in the Gothic style, was consecrated in Stanley Avenue in 1912. It was of yellow stock brick with red brick and stone dressings, and consisted of nave, chancel, aisles, south transept, north east chapel, north west baptistry, narthex and bell turret. In 1990 it was replaced by a new church built by Tony Rowse of the KC White Partnership.

Saint James was a chapel of Saint John at Hackney until September 1863 when it was assigned a district. It became the parish church of the united parish of Saint James with Christ Church Clapton in June 1953, and one of the two parish churches of the new parish of Hackney in 1972.

St James the Great is the ancient church of Friern Barnet, a parish in north Middlesex about seven miles north of London, bordering Hertfordshire to the north, Finchley to the west, Hornsey to the south, and Edmonton and Tottenham to the south east. Further churches were erected in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to serve the growing population.

St John the Evangelist was built as a chapel of ease in 1891-1902. It was constructed to serve a populous part of the parish and attendance exceeded that at St James the Great before the chapel was even finished.

The church of St Peter le Poer was founded in 1866 as a mission serving Muswell Hill. In 1884 a temporary church was constructed which was used until 1909 when a permament structure was built, funded by money from the sale of the redundant church of St. Peter-le-Poer in the City of London.

Source of information: 'Friern Barnet: Churches', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 6: Friern Barnet, Finchley, Hornsey with Highgate (1980), pp. 29-32. Available online.

The church of Saint James the Great was constructed between 1840 and 1844; designed by E. Blore in an Early English style. A district was assigned in 1844. Incumbent Edward Coke offered marriages for the fee of 7 pence, causing rowdy scenes as young couples got married in batches. He also raised many funds, founded a dispensary, a visiting society and a Sunday School. In 1951 the parish was united with Saint Jude (P72/JUD), and in 1969 with Saint Matthew (P72/MTW) and Saint Peter (P72/PET) in a team ministry. In 1984 Saint James the Great with Saint Jude united with Saint Matthew. The church was converted for residential use.

From: 'Bethnal Green: List of Churches', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 11: Stepney, Bethnal Green (1998), pp. 217-226.

The site of Saint James the Apostle was donated by James Lewis Minet, who also paid for the construction. Work began in June 1869 and the consecration took place in June 1870. A consolidated chapelry was formed in 1874. The architect was George Low who designed the church in a Decorated Gothic style, using Kentish ragstone and Bath stone.

The Church was closed in 1979 and the benefice has been united with that of Saint John the Divine, Vassall Road, Kennington.

Some information from: 'Myatt's Fields, Denmark Hill and Herne Hill: Introduction and Myatt's Fields area', Survey of London: volume 26: Lambeth: Southern area (1956), pp. 141-145.

Saint James the Apostle was founded by the City of London Clothworkers' Company, as a replacement for Lambe's chapel on Wood Street Square. A parish was formed in 1875 taken from parts of the parishes of Saint Peter and Saint Philip. The Clothworkers' Company were patrons. The church building was constructed between 1873 and 1875, designed by F.W. Porter. A statue of Lambe from the old chapel was placed in a niche over the door, and 4 Flemish roundels dating to 1577 were also incorporated.

From: 'Islington: Churches', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 8: Islington and Stoke Newington parishes (1985), pp. 88-99.