The Parish Church of St James
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St. James's Road, Hampton Hill, TW12 1DQ (Parish Office 020 8941 6003)
 
THE CHURCH BUILDINGS AND GROUNDS
Section Contents: Introduction | Building Projects | Images of St. James's | Inside the Church | Symbols in the Church | The Church Hall | The Church & Grounds Through the Years | The Churchyard | The Tower and Spire | The Vicarage

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Inside the Church - The Chancel

The Chancel
The chancel is the eastern part of the church where the choir (when they are singing) and clergy sit.

It is separated from the nave by steps, a rail and the arch which has written on it:

'O COME, LET US WORSHIP AND FALL DOWN
AND KNEEL BEFORE THE LORD OUR MAKER'.

The choir stalls, sanctuary or bishop's chairs, litany desks and the organ are in the chancel. See our Organ page.

Sanctuary or Bishop's Chairs and Litany Desks

The sanctuary or bishop's chairs are special chairs which now stand at the entrance to the chancel. They were originally in the sanctuary but were moved to be near the portable altar when this started to be used at the entrance to the chancel for Parish Communion services. They are made of wood and there are IHS carvings on the backs of the bishop’s chairs. IHS or IHC are the first three letters of the Greek for Jesus (IHCOYC) (see below).

The litany desks are prayer desks for the clergy. They are also made of carved wood.

A bishop's chair and litany desk


IHS Carvings

A bishop's chair and litany desk

IHS Carvings

IHS carving on the back of a bishop's chair
A bishop's chair and litany desk
IHS carving on the back of a bishop's chair

The Choir Stalls

Choir Stalls

Choir stalls are the fixed seats in the chancel where the choir and clergy can sit.

They are made of wood and the stall ends are beautifully carved, as shown in the pictures below.      

Choir pew end
Choir pew end
Choir pew end
Choir stall ends

Chancel Corbels
A corbel is a stone bracket projecting from a wall or corner to support a beam or simply for decoration.

Corbel - north side of Chancel
Corbel in the Chancel
Corbel in the Chancel
Corbel - south side of Chancel
Corbel (Virgin Mary)
north side of
the chancel
Corbels in the chancel
Corbel (St. James)
south side of
the chancel

Other Features in the Chancel
The Chancel roof timbers

A and O (Alpha and Omega, the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet) have been cleverly included in the design of the chancel roof timbers.

Tilework flooring in the Chancel

Floor tiles in the chancel

The Chancel Stained Glass Window

Stained glass has been used to add beauty and colour to our church. Most of our windows show biblical scenes, and these helped to teach the people about religion in the days when most of them could not read.

The separate pieces of glass each have their own colour and are set into strips of lead. The colours in early stained glass were each thought to have a meaning; for instance, red meant divine love, white - divine wisdom, yellow - faith, and so on.

The Chancel Stained Glass Windows

Further Information
Contacts
Contact the Parish Office 020 8941 6003
Associated pages on this website Associated pages on this website:
Organ

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