Saint James

Saint James, neighbourhood of the Greater London borough of Westminster. Lying south of the Soho district, west of Whitehall, and north and east of Buckingham Palace, St. James is known for its royal palace and its large park, and it has remained one of the more fashionable residential districts of London’s West End.

The nucleus of the district is St. James’s Palace. The original palace was built for Henry VIII in the 16th century. With the destruction of Whitehall Palace in 1698, St. James’s became the main London residence of the sovereign. The palace was restored in the early 19th century, following a fire that destroyed everything but a redbrick gatehouse. Although the royal family subsequently moved to grander quarters at nearby Buckingham Palace, St. James’s continues to serve as a residence and workplace for government officials. Around the palace are the 18th- and 19th-century mansions of Lancaster House, Bridgewater House, Marlborough House, and Spencer House, among other ornate structures.

Southeast of the palace, on the opposite side of the avenue called the Mall, is St. James’s Park (90 acres [36 hectares]), which is the oldest and most ornamental of the royal parks of central London. Originally a marshland, it was landscaped in an elaborate and formalized manner during the rule of Charles II (1660–85). The eastern end of the park was formed into the Horse Guards Parade in the 18th century. In the early 19th century the park was redesigned by John Nash, who changed its internal “canal” into a long, irregular lake graced with a small bridge from which the Whitehall buildings are easily viewed. There the sovereign’s official birthday is still celebrated with the Trooping the Colour, a spectacle performed by plumed cavalry units and marching bands.

In the northern part of the district is St. James’s Square, which was created in the 1660s as an aristocratic housing development. Among the buildings surrounding its central garden are Chatham House (the former home of three British prime ministers), the London Library (a private subscription library opened in 1841), several private clubs, and edifices used as corporate headquarters. Although some of the structures were built in the 20th century, most date to the 18th and 19th centuries.