The foundation stone

The tower

On June 20th 1887, the anniversary of the Queen’s accession, local clergy and gentry, led by the choir chanting Psalm 84, ‘Oh how amiable are thy dwellings’, processed to a platform on the site of the tower for a short service. The pink granite foundation stone, at the base of the southern wall, was laid by the vicar’s only son, Edward. It was inscribed ‘To the glory of God and in commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of the accession to the throne of his servant Victoria, Queen of the realm by public subscription on foundations laid by Fitzroy John Fitz Wygram, first Vicar of the Parish. This stone was laid by Edward Bligh on the 24th June 1887. Henry Bligh Vicar, xxxx Churchwardens,.xxxxx Architect’. One each of every coin in the country, from a farthing to a guinea, was placed behind this stone. After the ceremony everybody went to the vicarage grounds and “the rest of the day was spent in general rejoicings”.

The tower grew during the next few months and the opening of the baptistry beneath the new tower took place after the usual Christmas Eve service in 1887. The Parish Magazine of 1888 January reported: "The first instalment of our additions to the Church has left the builder’s hands, and we have to record the opening of the Baptistery beneath the new Tower, on Christmas Eve. After the usual Christmas Eve service, the clergy and choir proceeded to the Baptistery. Standing round the Font a short service was held, including the 127th Psalm, and the following collect specially compiled for the occasion. 'Almighty and Everlasting God, mercifully be pleased to bless this Baptistery which we have built in the Name and strength of Him Who is the tried and precious Stone; visit it, we beseech Thee, with Thy merciful loving kindness; cleanse it by Thy grace from all pollution, and keep it ever pure; bless those who shall here be admitted through the holy waters of baptism into the fold of Thy Church; and may all who witness baptisms here, be stirred up to a more worthy fulfilment of their own baptismal vow. We ask all in the Name and for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord.' The procession then left the Baptistery, singing the 242nd Hymn, 'We love the place, O God'."

The spire The original cross and weather vane The cross by 1989

The spire was completed in the New Year and on January 3rd, the vicar, Mrs. Bligh, the church wardens and other parishioners climbed the scaffolding to the top of the spire. Mrs. Bligh placed the capstone in position while the choir sang the ‘Te Deum’ up in the new belfry. After the ceremony Mrs. Bligh delighted the crowds below by throwing buns out of one of the windows.

Climbing a staircase to about eighty-five feet, then a ladder to the middle look-out, parishioners could experience the spectacular view for sixpence. It was the tallest structure in the then Borough of Twickenham, standing 156 feet and remains a prominent landmark. From the lower platform in the steeple, which is 83 feet above the ground, a fine view of the surrounding countryside could be seen, including Windsor Castle and Box Hill, both more than 12 miles away. The £2500 required to pay for the tower and spire came in very slowly and caused great anxiety, so in June, 1891, a “Fancy Fair” lasting two days was held to clear the remaining loan. Read the articles Fancy Fair for Tower and Spire.

The bells

The clock and four bells were installed in 1893 and dedicated on December 23rd 1893, when the former vicar, Revd. Henry Bligh, who had been chairman of the Clock and Bells committee from 1887-93, returned from Fareham to preach a sermon appropriate to the texts on the bells. He then "set the clock in motion by pulling a tassel, which liberated the pendulum and immediately the sweet-toned chimes were heard". A short peal was rung and the choir sang "To Thee O God we dedicate our bells now raised on high". By starting the clock and the first chime “which delighted everyone within receiving distance” Revd. Bligh had the satisfaction of completing the work he had begun with the building of the tower. Read the articles Clock and Bells. Two further bells were added in 1902.

Cross and weather vane on the top and missing cross on pinnacle Cross and weather vane on the top

Parts of the tower needed re-pointing in 1920 and there were several outbreaks of dry rot in the tower, the one in the fifties causing extensive damage to the floors at the east end, and another in the early sixties.

In December 1940 a British Wellington bomber, the crew of which had bailed out when their plane had become uncontrollable due to icing, crashed on to No. 63, Park Road, the home of Lady Stanton. The tip of the plane’s wing knocked off one of the crosses from one of the four pinnacles at the base of St. James’s Spire. See the picture on the far left where the right hand cross is missing. After a parish-wide collection, much needed repairs to the clock and spire were undertaken in 1947. The spire had been badly shaken during the bombing in the war and steeple-jacks set to work making good the damage. See the other picture on the left. At that time the spire still supported the original cross and weather vane (see left). It must have been removed some time between then and the 1989 spire renovation because at that time the 'new' cross was taken down, repaired, re-coated with glass fibre and resin, and refixed in a new capstone by the steeplejacks.

The steeplejacks up the spire

The church clock had to be stopped on 7th September 1970, when it was found that the bottom pulley anchorages of the driving weights (which total nearly half a ton) were affected by dry rot. Read the article Our Clock. A preliminary inspection in 1970 showed that some repairs were needed to the spire stonework, lightning conductor, and weathervane, and that the upper brickwork of the tower needed extensive re-pointing. Read the article The Spire. Strong wire-mesh was put up on all openings in the tower in 1956 to stop the pigeons coming in. Read the article Pigeons in the Tower.

In 1989 various defects were discovered in the spire as a result of one of the quinquennial inspections (every church is inspected by its architect every five years). Read the article The Spire: a Symbol? The February 1990 edition of the Spire reported: "The appearance of steeplejack’s ladders signalled a warning of trouble, and now, sadly, we have confirmation from the architect’s inspection that the spire may not be as solid as we thought. Undamaged by the violence of the '87 hurricane, it is however under attack from the insidious effects of dampness, frost, and atmospheric pollution which are causing areas of masonry, where the spire rises from the tower, to crumble. Stonework on both tower and spire is eroded, and the cross at the top is split. Urgent work is necessary to restore these areas and prevent further damage." A special appeal, 'Save Our Spire' was launched and the renovation, which included an application of an impervious surface at the base of the spire to inhibit water penetration, was completed later that year. Read the article The Renovation of the Church Spire.

The church clock and chimes were out of action for a while at the end of 2008. The problem was that the rewinding mechanism needed a replacement part and as this was not available as a spare the makers had to create a special part. Read the article Have you got the time, Vicar?