This information is taken from the statutory List as it was in 2001 and may not be up to date.
TQ 1395 BUSHEY HIGH STREET (South side) Bushey
13/103 Church of St. James 14.9.49 (Formerly listed as Parish Church of St. James) GV II*
Parish Church. Early to mid C13 chancel. C15 tower. Restored and extended 1871 by Sir G.Gilbert Scott. 1897 additions. Knapped flint with stone rubble in tower. Ashlar dressings. Tiled roofs. Originally 3-bay chancel and 5-bay nave. N and S aisles, N porch, organ bay and vestry all added in C19. Chancel: 3 C19 lancets to E. 2-stage diagonal buttresses. To N: 3 lancets in chamfered surrounds with hood moulds. To S: vestry and organ bay, 2 trefoiled lights with a square head and a gable to E, 1 light to S. Lean-to addition with entrance to E and two 2-light windows to S. S aisle: four 3-light windows, foiled heads to each light, pointed heads, hood moulds, 2-stage buttresses. W bay has a 2-light window with curvilinear tracery. Diagonal buttresses at return angles. W return: large 4-light window with curvilinear tracery. Shorter and narrower N aisle. Towards E two 2-light traceried windows, diagonal buttress to return with similar window. W bay and W bay of nave similar. Porch towards W end: timber on flint and stone base. Timber double doors with pointed arched head. Foiled heads to glazed and unglazed panels on returns. Sham close studding in gable with elaborate bargeboards. C15 moulded frame to door into N aisle. Aisles, nave, chancel and vestry all separately roofed with chancel slightly lower than nave. Tower: 3 stages, pointed arched head to W entrance with C15 plank door with strap hinges, hollow moulded surround, stopped hood mould. Restored C16 window above: 2 foiled lights in a hollow moulded square head. String course below small C19 lancets in 2nd stage. Bell stage has 2 trefoil headed openings with square heads to each side. Moulded cornice. Embattled parapet. 4-stage diagonal buttresses. Clock to E in 2nd stage. NE corner stair turret with slit windows, quadrilateral to semi-octagonal upper stage. Interior: C13 blank triple arcades to N and S chancel walls, Purbeck marble shafts with moulded caps and bases to chamfered pointed arches with labels. S chancel wall: lancet to E, half lancet over vestry door to centre and remains of late C13 3-light window now opening to organ chamber to W. C15 tower arch, part rebuilt. C19 N and S aisle arcades. 5 bays to S, 3 to N arranged 2 and 1, follow an earlier model.
Octagonal piers with moulded caps and bases to 2 chamfered orders in pointed arches. In place of chancel arch a tympanum over a cambered tie beam carrying the Royal Arms of Queen Anne with diaper surround to nave, to chancel a C17 painting showing the Divine Glory supported by putti and flanking reclining figures. Late C14 or early C15 nave roof: alternate hammer beam and tie beam trusses, arched braces, hollow chamfered wind braces, moulded tie beams, purlins, collars and wall plates. Chancel roof retains early moulded wall plates to C19 braced collar trusses with painted decoration to E. Aisles have C19 arched braced roofs following model of nave. Aumbry at E end of N chancel wall.
C19 Gothic altar table with figures painted by students of H.Herkomer.
Early C17 octagonal pulpit with tester, panelled and richly carved, steps with barley sugar balusters. Brass candelabra in chancel given 1727. Carved organ case and decorated pipes of 1871 to S aisle. Carved double doors of 1906 from S aisle to vestry. Carved timber cross at W end of S aisle by H. Herkomer. Marble font 1874. Patterned encaustic tile floor. C17 floor slab tombs in vestry. Glass: some C17 fragments, E window 1871 by Powell and Sons, W window by Wooldridge. (RCHM 1910: VCH 1923: Pevsner 1977: Bushey Parish Church Guide 1981).
Listing NGR: TQ1303195223
This is part of the Series: IOE01/0791 IOE Records taken by V M Geduld; within the Collection: IOE01 Images Of England
© Mr V. M. Geduld. Source: Historic England Archive
This photograph was taken for the Images of England project
Photographer: Geduld, V. M.
Rights Holder: Geduld, V. M.
Ashlar, Flint, Rubble, Stone, Tile, Timber, Medieval Parish Church, Religious Ritual And Funerary, Church, Place Of Worship, Grave Slab, Grave Marker, Funerary Site
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