St. James's - "Britannia rules"
Location
- St James’s is an area of central London bounded to the north by Piccadilly, to the west by Green Park, to the south by The Mall and St James’s Park and to the east by The Haymarket.
Historical facts
- This district was once part of the same royal hunting park as Green Park. In the 1660s King Charles II gave Henry Jermyn, 1st Earl of St Albans, permission to develop the area as a predominantly aristocratic residential area with a grid of streets centred on St James’s Square.
- Until the Second World War, St James’s remained one of the most exclusive residential districts in London. During the War General Eisenhower used number 31 as his London headquarters.
- Famous residences in St James’s include St James’s Palace, Clarence House, Marlborough House, Lancaster House, Spencer House, Schomberg House and Bridgewater House.
Facilities
- St James’s is also the home of several gentlemen’s clubs, organisations of English high society, each with a specific category, ie royals, military officers, motoring enthusiasts, businessman and other groups.
- Today, most of St James is commercial where global firms have their headquarters.
- The auction house Christie’s is based in King Street, and the surrounding streets contain a great many up-market art and antique dealers.
Famous residents
- Dwight Eisenhower
- Earl of Derby
- Nancy Aster
- William Gladstone
- William Pitt – the elder