St James the Less, Pockthorpe

St James the Less
St James the Less, Pockthorpe, Norwich
View from the southwest
Location	Norwich, Norfolk
Country	United Kingdom
History
Dedication	Saint James the Less (officially Saints James the Less and James the Great)
Architecture
Functional status	Puppet theatre
Heritage designation	Grade I listed (1954)
Architectural type	Perpendicular

St James the Less, Pockthorpe (also once known as St James, Cowgate or St. James at Barr-gates) is a redundant church located just inside the medieval city of Norwich, Norfolk, England. First recorded in 1180, the church served a small city parish; the area it served was greatly expanded during the English Reformation to include both the hamlet of Pockthorpe (just outside the walls) and an adjoining part of Mousehold Heath. The current church may have replaced an earlier 11th- or 12th-century building.

The church was restored in 1885. It was placed in the care of the Norwich Historic Churches Trust in 1973. It became a shelter for the homeless before becoming the home of the Norwich Puppet Theatre, which opened in 1980. The church's architectural style is Perpendicular Gothic. It was built using flint, freestone, and brick. The nave is separated by piers that assist in supporting the brick-topped tower, which, being built within the church and not at the end of the nave, causes the west end to be partitioned.

Many of St James's original interior fixtures and fittings, including its medieval baptismal font, a set of 15th-century rood screen panels, and glass roundels fitted when the church was re-glazed, are now at nearby St Mary Magdalene, Norwich, which in 1972 became the church for the parish after St James was closed as a place of worship.