Alistair Hardaker | Image:
National Lottery Heritage Fund capital for St James’s Piccadilly is part of £24m renovation plans
An Anglican church on Piccadilly in London has today announced a £4.75m grant to support its transformation.
St James’s Piccadilly church, designed in 1684 by architect and physicist Sir Christopher Wren, is planning a £24m restoration named the Wren Project.
Alongside restoring the building and surroundings, the project is hoped to generate opportunities for volunteers and communities primarily in London through its young leaders Changemaker Programme, supported by the Rothschild Foundation.
The programme is designed to develop 50 young leaders aged between 22-34, equipping them with leadership skills in music, environment, civil society, business and the arts.
The Grade I listed church will also see new entrances and arches installed to improve accessibility, including the reinstatement of elements of Wren’s original design.
Its gardens are to be re-landscaped to improve both accessibility and biodiversity.
A public and community programme will accompany the redevelopment, including a digital archive, hard-hat tours and an initiative offering after-hours access.
A new organ will be built for the currently empty Grinling Gibbons organ case, alongside a ten-year music scholarship programme to support young musicians.
Lucy Winkett, rector of St James’s Church, Piccadilly said: “ We believe our church building, courtyard and garden are public sacred space for everyone, from all faiths and none.”
St James’s Piccadilly is among more than 225 places of worship projects awarded over £145m in the past two years by the Heritage Fund.
