A Renga for St James was the first work commissioned for St James Place in 2009, as part of the St James Collection. The Renga was designed to form a temporary installation on the hoardings alongside the river Wensum.

This Renga word-map was conceived by Alec Finlay and Cath Campbell as a poem to describe the character of the location. It is composed of linked verses on many different themes – including history, topography, everyday life, economy and ecology.

The Renga was written on site from 6 – 9 July 2009, by participants drawn from businesses within St James Place and other people interested in the site and the project and led by renga-master Ken Cockburn.

The Renga was removed in May 2020 whilst building work on a new housing development started. It has been much enjoyed by many passers by including groups of school children who have used it to inspire their own poems. For more information about Renga visit www.renga-platform.co.uk.