St James's is a central district in the

City of Westminster The City of Westminster is a city and borough in Inner London. It is the site of the United Kingdom's Houses of Parliament and much of the British government. It occupies a large area of central Greater London, including most of the West En ...

, London, forming part of the West End. In the 17th century the area developed as a residential location for the British aristocracy, and around the 19th century was the focus of the development of gentlemen's clubs. Once part of the parish of

St Martin in the Fields St Martin-in-the-Fields is a Church of England parish church at the north-east corner of Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, London. It is dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours. There has been a church on the site since at least the medie ...

, much of it formed the parish of St James from 1685 to 1922. Since the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

the area has transitioned from residential to commercial use. St James's is bounded to the north by

Piccadilly Piccadilly () is a road in the City of Westminster, London, to the south of Mayfair, between Hyde Park Corner in the west and Piccadilly Circus in the east. It is part of the A4 road that connects central London to Hammersmith, Earl's Cour ...

and

Mayfair Mayfair is an affluent area in the West End of London towards the eastern edge of Hyde Park, in the City of Westminster, between Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Park Lane. It is one of the most expensive districts in the world ...

, to the west by Green Park, to the south by The Mall bounding St. James's Park, and to the east by Haymarket.

History

Toponymy

The area's name is derived from the dedication of a 12th-century

leper Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a long-term infection by the bacteria '' Mycobacterium leprae'' or '' Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the nerves, respiratory tract, skin, and eyes. This nerve d ...

hospital to

Saint James the Less James the Less ( grc-gre, Ἰάκωβος ὁ μικρός ) is a figure of early Christianity, one of the Twelve chosen by Jesus. He is also called "the Minor", "the Little", "the Lesser", or "the Younger", according to translation. He is not to ...

. The hospital site is now occupied by

St James's Palace St James's Palace is the most senior royal palace in London, the capital of the United Kingdom. The palace gives its name to the Court of St James's, which is the monarch's royal court, and is located in the City of Westminster in London. Alt ...

. The area became known as "Clubland" because of the historic presence of gentlemen's clubs. The section of

Regent Street Regent Street is a major shopping street in the West End of London. It is named after George, the Prince Regent (later George IV) and was laid out under the direction of the architect John Nash and James Burton. It runs from Waterloo Plac ...

(colloquially known as 'Lower Regent Street') that runs between Waterloo Place and Piccadilly Circus has been officially renamed 'Regent Street St James's’.

Urban development

St James's was once part of the same royal park as Green Park and

St. James's Park St James's Park is a park in the City of Westminster, central London. It is at the southernmost tip of the St James's area, which was named after a leper hospital dedicated to St James the Less. It is the most easterly of a near-continuous ch ...

. In the 1660s, Charles II gave the right to develop the area to Henry Jermyn, 1st Earl of St Albans who developed it as a predominantly aristocratic residential area around a grid of streets centred on St James's Square. Until the

, St James's remained one of the most exclusive residential enclaves in London. Notable residences include

, Clarence House, Marlborough House, Lancaster House, Spencer House,

Schomberg House Schomberg House at 80–82 Pall Mall is a prominent house on the south side of Pall Mall in central London which has a colourful history. Only the street facade survives today. It was built for The 3rd Duke of Schomberg, a Huguenot general i ...

, Norfolk House and Bridgewater House. (See

Townhouse (Great Britain) In British usage, the term townhouse originally referred to the town or city residence, in practice normally in London, of a member of the nobility or gentry, as opposed to their country seat, generally known as a country house or, colloquially ...

for the aristocratic nature of the speculative buildings.)

Local government

St James's was in the

ancient parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority. ...

of St Martin in the Fields in the Liberty of Westminster. Attempts made in 1664, 1668 and 1670 to separate St James's from the parish were resisted by St Martin's

vestry A vestry was a committee for the local secular and ecclesiastical government for a parish in England, Wales and some English colonies which originally met in the vestry or sacristy of the parish church, and consequently became known colloquiall ...

. The building of St James's Church, Piccadilly in 1684 forced the issue, and a new parish of St James within the Liberty of Westminster was created in 1685. The parish stretched from Oxford Street in the north to Pall Mall in the south. It roughly corresponded to the contemporary St James's area, but extended into parts of

Soho Soho is an area of the City of Westminster, part of the West End of London. Originally a fashionable district for the aristocracy, it has been one of the main entertainment districts in the capital since the 19th century. The area was deve ...

and

. Land south of Pall Mall remained in St Martin in the Fields' parish, and St James's Park was split between the parishes of St Martin and

St Margaret Saint Margaret, St. Margarets, or St. Margaret's may refer to: People In chronological order: * Saint Margaret the Virgin of Antioch (died 304) * Saint Margaret of Scotland (c. 1045–1093) * Saint Margaret of England (died 1192) * Saint Margare ...

. St James's Palace was an extra-parochial area and not part of any parish. A

select vestry A vestry was a committee for the local secular and ecclesiastical government for a parish in England, Wales and some English colonies which originally met in the vestry or sacristy of the parish church, and consequently became known colloquiall ...

was created for the new parish.

Governance

For elections to

Westminster City Council Westminster City Council is the local authority for the City of Westminster in Greater London, England. The city is divided into 20 wards, each electing three councillors. The council is currently composed of 31 Labour Party members and 23 Cons ...

, the area is part of the St James's ward. The ward includes

Covent Garden Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist si ...

, Strand,

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, B ...

and part of Mayfair. The ward elects three councillors.

Notable streets

Henry Jermyn, Earl of St Albans Green Plaque

Notable streets include: * St James's Square, which retains many of its original houses but is mostly in office use. The London Library is located there. *

Jermyn Street Jermyn Street is a one-way street in the St James's area of the City of Westminster in London, England. It is to the south of, parallel, and adjacent to Piccadilly. Jermyn Street is known as a street for gentlemen's-clothing retailers. His ...

, an upmarket retail street best known for bespoke shirtmakers and shops offering the finest gentlemen's attire. * Pall Mall, which contains many of London's gentlemen's clubs. It is also home to Marlborough House, the seat of the

Commonwealth Secretariat The Commonwealth Secretariat is the main intergovernmental agency and central institution of the Commonwealth of Nations. It is responsible for facilitating co-operation between members; organising meetings, including the Commonwealth Heads o ...

, and the Québec Government Office in London. * Crown Passage, a narrow street which splits off from Pall Mall opposite Marlborough House and is home to the Red Lion, one of the oldest

pubs A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

in London's West End to still be in business. * Haymarket was once the best-known centre of prostitution in London, but no trace remains of this part of its past. It contains two historic theatres: the

Haymarket Theatre The Theatre Royal Haymarket (also known as Haymarket Theatre or the Little Theatre) is a West End theatre on Haymarket, London, Haymarket in the City of Westminster which dates back to 1720, making it the third-oldest London playhouse still in ...

and Her Majesty's Theatre. * Carlton House Terrace, a pair of grand terraces of houses designed by John Nash overlooking St. James's Park. *

St James's Street St James's Street is the principal street in the district of St James's, central London. It runs from Piccadilly downhill to St James's Palace and Pall Mall. The main gatehouse of the Palace is at the southern end of the road; in the 17th centur ...

, which runs down from Piccadilly to St James's Palace.

Street name etymologies

The following utilises the generally accepted boundaries of St James’s, viz. Piccadilly to the north, Haymarket and Cockspur Street to the east, The Mall to the south and Queen’s Walk to the west. * Angel Court – thought to be after a former inn of this name * Apple Tree Yard – thought to be after the apple trees formerly to be found here; formerly Angier Street * Arlington Street – after Henry Bennet, 1st Earl of Arlington, 17th century statesman and local landowner * Babmaes Street – named after Baptist May (or Mays), trustee to local landowner Henry Jermyn, 1st Earl of Saint Albans; it was formerly known as Babmay’s Mews * Bennet Street – after Henry Bennet, 1st Earl of Arlington, 17th century statesman and local landowner * Blue Ball Yard – after the former 18th century Blew Ball tavern here * Bury Street – after Henry Jermyn, 1st Earl of Saint Albans and Baron Jermyn of St Edmundsbury (

Bury St Edmunds Bury St Edmunds (), commonly referred to locally as Bury, is a historic market, cathedral town and civil parish in Suffolk, England.OS Explorer map 211: Bury St.Edmunds and Stowmarket Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – Southampton ...

), 17th century politician and local landownerBebbington, G. (1972) ''London Street Names'', p184 * Carlton Gardens, Carlton Street and Carlton House Terrace – after the former Carlton House, built here in 1709 for

Henry Boyle, 1st Baron Carleton Henry Boyle, 1st Baron Carleton, (12 July 1669 – 31 March 1725) was an Anglo-Irish Whig politician who sat in the Irish House of Commons from 1692 to 1695 and in the English and British House of Commons between 1689 and 1710. He served as C ...

* Catherine Wheel Yard – from the name of an inn that stood on this site until it burnt down in 1895 *

Charing Cross Charing Cross ( ) is a junction in Westminster, London, England, where six routes meet. Clockwise from north these are: the east side of Trafalgar Square leading to St Martin's Place and then Charing Cross Road; the Strand leading to the City ...

– after the

Eleanor cross The Eleanor crosses were a series of twelve tall and lavishly decorated stone monuments topped with crosses erected in a line down part of the east of England. King Edward I had them built between 1291 and about 1295 in memory of his beloved wi ...

at Charing, from the Old English word "cierring", referring to a bend in the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...

Fairfield, S. ''The Streets of London – A dictionary of the names and their origins'', p65 * Charles II Street – named after Charles II, king when this street was builtBebbington, G. (1972) ''London Street Names'', p189 * Church Place – after the adjacent St James's Church, Piccadilly; formerly Church Passage * Cleveland Place and Cleveland Row – after Cleveland House (now Bridgwater House), named for

Barbara Palmer, 1st Duchess of Cleveland Barbara Palmer, 1st Duchess of Cleveland, Countess of Castlemaine (née Barbara Villiers, – 9 October 1709), was an English royal mistress of the Villiers family and perhaps the most notorious of the many mistresses of King Charles II of Eng ...

who lived there in the late 17th century * Cockspur Court and Cockspur Street – unknown, though possibly after the cock fighting that formerly occurred here, cocks often having spurs attached to their feet during fights * Crown Passage – thought to be after a former tavern of this name *

Duke Street, St James's Duke Street, St James's is a street in the St James's area of the City of Westminster, London. It runs from Piccadilly in the north to King Street in the south, and is crossed by Jermyn Street. Ryder Street joins it on the western side. On th ...

and Duke of York Street – named after James II, Duke of York when the street was built and brother to Charles II, king at the time * Eagle Place * Haymarket – site of a former market selling hay until the 1830s *

– after Henry Jermyn, 1st Earl of Saint Albans, 17th century politician and local landownerFairfield, S. ''The Streets of London – A dictionary of the names and their origins'', p171 * King Street – named after

Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...

, king when this street was built in the 1600s * The Mall – built as a course for playing the game pall mall, fashionable in the 17th centuryBebbington, G. (1972) ''London Street Names'', p245-6 * Marlborough Road – after the adjacent Marlborough House, built for

Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough, Princess of Mindelheim, Countess of Nellenburg (née Jenyns, spelt Jennings in most modern references; 5 June 1660 (Old Style) – 18 October 1744), was an English courtier who rose to be one of th ...

in 1711 *

Mason's Yard Mason's Yard is a street in London SW1, England. Overview Mason's Yard is a cul-de-sac east off Duke Street in the St James's area of London in the City of Westminster. White Cube has one of its two London galleries locations here, which ope ...

– after the local 18th century victualler Henry Mason; it was formerly known as West Stable Yard * Norris Street – after Godfrye Norris, local leaseholder in the 17th century * Ormond Yard – after

James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormonde Lieutenant-General James FitzThomas Butler, 1st Duke of Ormond, KG, PC (19 October 1610 – 21 July 1688), was a statesman and soldier, known as Earl of Ormond from 1634 to 1642 and Marquess of Ormond from 1642 to 1661. Following the failur ...

, who owned a house next to this yard in the 17th century * Pall Mall and Pall Mall Place – laid out as a grounds for playing pall mall in the 17th century * Park Place – after the nearby Green Park *

, Piccadilly Arcade and Piccadilly Circus – after Piccadilly Hall, home of local tailor Robert Baker in the 17th century, believed to be named after the pickadils (collars/hem trimmings) which made his fortune. Circus is a British term for a road junction; it was laid out by John Nash in 1819 * Pickering Place – after William Pickering, local painter stainer and grocer, who leased property here in the 1730s * Princes Arcade – built 1929–33, named after the former Prince’s Hotel, which stood here * Princes Place * Queen’s Walk – after

Caroline of Ansbach , father = John Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach , mother = Princess Eleonore Erdmuthe of Saxe-Eisenach , birth_date = , birth_place = Ansbach, Principality of Ansbach, Holy Roman Empire , death_date = , death_place = St James's Pa ...

, wife of George II, who took a strong interest in the Royal Parks *

– made in the 1810s by John Nash and named after the Prince Regent, later

George IV George IV (George Augustus Frederick; 12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from the death of his father, King George III, on 29 January 1820, until his own death ten y ...

* Rose and Crown Yard – unknown, probably after a former inn of this name * Royal Opera Arcade – originally part of an opera house theatre, built by John Nash * Russell Court – after the Russell family, who lived here in the 1600s * Ryder Court, Ryder Street and Ryder Yard – after Richard Rider, Master Carpenter to Charles II * St Alban's Street – after Henry Jermyn, 1st Earl of Saint Albans, 17th century politician and local landowner * St James’s Market, St James's Place, St James's Square, St James’s Street and Little St James’s Street – the site of

was originally the site of St James’s leper hospital in the Middle Ages, named after

James, son of Zebedee James the Great, also known as James, son of Zebedee, Saint James the Great, Saint James the Greater, Saint James the Elder, or Saint Jacob ( Aramaic ܝܥܩܘܒ ܒܪ ܙܒܕܝ, Arabic يعقوب, Hebrew בן זבדי , '' Yaʿăqōḇ'', Latin ...

* Spring Gardens – after the 17th century pleasure grounds of this name which formerly lay on this site; they were closed in 1660 * Stable Yard and Stable Yard Road – as they leads to the stables of St James's Palace * Warwick House Street – formerly approached Warwick House, built in the 17th century for Sir Philip Warwick * Waterloo Place – after the

Battle of Waterloo The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo (at that time in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium). A French army under the command of Napoleon was defeated by two of the armies of the Sevent ...

which ended the

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fre ...

Economy

St James's is a predominantly commercial area with some of the highest rents in London and, consequently, the world. The auction house

Christie's Christie's is a British auction house founded in 1766 by James Christie. Its main premises are on King Street, St James's in London, at Rockefeller Center in New York City and at Alexandra House in Hong Kong. It is owned by Groupe Artémi ...

is based in King Street, and the surrounding streets contain many upmarket art and antique dealers including

Colnaghi Colnaghi is an art dealership in St James's, central London, England, which is the oldest commercial art gallery in the world, having been established in 1760. Foundation The business that became the Colnaghi gallery was established by It ...

, Agnew’s Gallery, Moretti Fine Art, Hazlitt, Gooden & Fox, Stoppenbach & Delestre Ltd,

The Sladmore Gallery The Sladmore Gallery is a London art dealership with two premises, one at 32 Bruton Place off Berkeley Square (held since its foundation in 1965) and the other established at 57 Jermyn Street in 2007. Its speciality is animalier sculptors (with t ...

and S Franses Ltd. BP is headquartered in St James's. The area is home to fine wine merchants including

Berry Brothers and Rudd Berry Bros. & Rudd (BBR) is a family-run British wine and spirits merchant founded in London, England, in 1698. Since then, the company has grown from a small coffee shop into an international business with six offices worldwide. As well as the ...

, at number 3 St James's Street. Adjoining St James's Street is Jermyn Street, famous for tailoring. Some famous cigar retailers are at 35 St James's Street, occupied by Davidoff of London; J.J. Fox at 19 St James's Street and Dunhill at 50 Jermyn St. Shoemaker, Wildsmith, designers of the first loafer, was located at 41 Duke Street but is now at 13 Savile Row.

Culture

The Institute of Contemporary Arts, London entrance

Art galleries catering for a spectrum of tastes occupy premises in the area. The

White Cube White Cube is a contemporary art gallery founded by Jay Jopling in London in 1993. The gallery has two branches in London: White Cube Mason's Yard in central London and White Cube Bermondsey in South East London; White Cube Hong Kong, in Centr ...

gallery, which represents Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin, opened in Duke Street before moving to Hoxton Square. In September 2006, it opened a second gallery at 25–26 Mason's Yard, off Duke Street, on a plot previously occupied by an electricity substation. The gallery is the first free-standing building to be built in the area for more than 30 years. Other notable modern and contemporary art dealers in the St James's area include Helly Nahmad Gallery, Paisnel Gallery, Bernard Jacobson Gallery, Thomas Dane, Whitford Fine Art and Panter & Hall. On the southernmost border of St James's is The Mall where The

Institute of Contemporary Arts The Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) is an artistic and cultural centre on The Mall in London, just off Trafalgar Square. Located within Nash House, part of Carlton House Terrace, near the Duke of York Steps and Admiralty Arch, the I ...

and the

Mall Galleries Mall commonly refers to a: * Shopping mall * Strip mall * Pedestrian street * Esplanade Mall or MALL may also refer to: Places Shopping complexes * The Mall (Sofia) (Tsarigradsko Mall), Sofia, Bulgaria * The Mall, Patna, Patna, Bihar, India * ...

are located.

Clubland

St James's is home to many of the best known gentlemen's clubs in London, and sometimes, though not as often as formerly, referred to as "Clubland". The clubs are organisations of English high society. A variety of groups congregate here, such as royals, military officers, motoring enthusiasts, and other groups. In 1990, the

Carlton Club The Carlton Club is a private members' club in St James's, London. It was the original home of the Conservative Party before the creation of Conservative Central Office. Membership of the club is by nomination and election only. History T ...

, traditional meeting place for members of the

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

, was struck by an IRA bomb.

References

External links

St James's Westminster, Part 1
– a volume of the '' Survey of London'' which provides a very detailed architectural history of most of St James's. However a few sections of the parish of St James's fall outside the district, so they are omitted
map
.
Map of St James's and surrounding areas

Clubland at Virtual LondonArea website for St James's with profiles on shops, restaurants and galleries in the area and a full events calendar
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint James's Districts of the City of Westminster Areas of London City of Westminster