St James’ Church, Sydney

City of Sydney, Australia

Open to visitors

The interior is normally open, possibly ticketed.

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St James' Church at 173 King Street in Sydney's central business district is a Georgian-style Anglican parish church designed by transported convict architect Francis Greenway during Governor Lachlan Macquarie's administration and completed in 1819. Consecrated in February 1824 and named for St James the Great, it became a parish church in 1835 and stands as the oldest church extant in Sydney's inner city. Originally ministering to the convict population, St James' occupies a significant place within the Macquarie Street historical precinct alongside the World Heritage-listed Hyde Park Barracks. The church maintains its prominence in the city's religious and civic life, drawing associations with the legal and medical professions through its proximity to law courts and Sydney Hospital. Its worship follows High Church and moderate Anglo-Catholic traditions, distinguished by a robed choir and liturgical music practices that set it apart within the Anglican Diocese. The building is registered on the New South Wales State Heritage Register and listed on the Local Environmental Plan.

Architect

Francis Greenway

Movement

Georgian architecture

Built: 1819
Type: church building
Heritage: National Trust of Australia register, listed on the Register of the National Estate
Place: City of Sydney, Australia

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Location

-33.86940, 151.21100