The church of St James dates from the 13th century and was very probably built on the site of a more ancient place of worship. On public view in the church is the record of successive Rectors who have been responsible for the parish since 1327. Thorley in the early 14th Century was a relatively affluent settlement being a neighbouring parish to the important and prosperous market town of Bishop's Stortford. This period saw a significant enlargement of the parish church.
The written records of the church date from 1539, one year after Henry VIII decreed that each parish should keep registers to record weekly details of baptisms, weddings and burials. The Friends of St James maintain the Parish Archives where you find lots of interesting historical information about the parish.
The large developments of the surrounding areas of Thorley Park and St Michael's Mead in recent years have greatly increased the population of the parish and the size of the congregation. In order to accommodate the much larger congregations than the church building was designed for, the church purchased a nearby 16th century tithe barn and converted it into the St Barnabas Centre ('The Barn') in 1996. The Barn, now a grade II listed building, provides modern facilities for a variety of worship, community and social events, and is a valued resource in the wider Bishop's Stortford community.
The Emmaus Centre, built on the site of an old Dutch Barn, provides modern facilities for several of the children’s groups, as well as other Parish events. This building was opened in 2003.
St James The Great
