St James's Street is the principal street in the district of
St James's
St James's is a district of Westminster, and a central district in the City of Westminster, London, forming part of the West End of London, West End. The area was once part of the northwestern gardens and parks of St. James's Palace and much of ...
,
central London
Central London is the innermost part of London, in England, spanning the City of London and several boroughs. Over time, a number of definitions have been used to define the scope of Central London for statistics, urban planning and local gove ...
. It runs from
Piccadilly
Piccadilly () is a road in the City of Westminster, London, England, 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 (England), A4 road that connects central London to ...
downhill to
St James's Palace
St James's Palace is the most senior royal palace in London, England. 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. Although no longer the principal residence ...
and
Pall Mall. The main gatehouse of the Palace is at the southern end of the road; in the 17th century,
Clarendon House faced down the street across Piccadilly from the site of what is now
Albemarle Street.
History
St James's Street was developed without an overall plan. It received a boost with
Lord St Albans' planned construction of harmonious
grand town houses at
St James's Square
St James's Square is the only square in the St James's district of the City of Westminster and is a garden square. It has predominantly Georgian architecture, Georgian and Neo-Georgian architecture. For its first two hundred or so years it was ...
. Today St James's Street contains several of London's best-known
gentlemen's clubs (such as
Boodle's,
Brooks's, the
Carlton Club and
White's
White's is a gentlemen's club in St James's, London. Founded in 1693 as a hot chocolate shop in Mayfair, it is London's oldest club and therefore the oldest private members' club in the world. It moved to its current premises on St James's St ...
), some exclusive shops and various offices. A series of small side streets on its western side lead to some extremely expensive properties overlooking
Green Park
The Green Park, one of the Royal Parks of London, is in the City of Westminster, Central London. Green Park is to the north of the gardens and semi-circular forecourt of Buckingham Palace, across Constitution Hill road. The park is in the m ...
, including
Spencer House and the
Royal Over-Seas League at the end of Park Place.
Two 18th-century yards survive behind the noble frontages of the street. One is Blue Ball Yard, with stables built in 1742. The other is Pickering Place, with four informal
Georgian brick houses of 1731.
[Pevsner 1962.] Jermyn Street
Jermyn Street is a One-way traffic, 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 r ...
, noted for its shirtmakers and associated shops, leads off St James's Street to the east.
From 1711 to 1843 the
Thatched House Tavern, notable for its political meetings, was located in the street.
Access
The nearest tube station is
Green Park
The Green Park, one of the Royal Parks of London, is in the City of Westminster, Central London. Green Park is to the north of the gardens and semi-circular forecourt of Buckingham Palace, across Constitution Hill road. The park is in the m ...
, which stands on Piccadilly, to the west.
Cultural references
St James's Street is referenced in
T. S. Eliot's "
Bustopher Jones: The Cat About Town" from ''
Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats
''Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats'' (1939) is a collection of whimsical Light poetry, light poems by T. S. Eliot about Cat, feline psychology and sociology, published by Faber and Faber. It serves as the basis for Andrew Lloyd Webber's 1981 ...
'', wherein Bustopher Jones, a parody of an Edwardian gentleman of leisure, is described as "the St. James's Street Cat". St James's Street was later featured as the new location for the fictional headquarters of the Kingsman Secret Service in the 2017 film ''
Kingsman: The Golden Circle''.
See also
*
St James's Church, Piccadilly (to the east)
*
St James's Park
St James's Park is a urban park in the City of Westminster, central London. A Royal Park, it is at the southernmost end of the St James's area, which was named after a once isolated medieval hospital dedicated to St James the Less, now the ...
(to the south)
*
St James's Place
St James's Place is a street in the St James's district of London near Green Park. It was first developed around 1694, the historian John Strype describing it in 1720 as a "good Street ... which receiveth a fresh Air out of the Park; the House ...
(to the west)
*
St James's Square
St James's Square is the only square in the St James's district of the City of Westminster and is a garden square. It has predominantly Georgian architecture, Georgian and Neo-Georgian architecture. For its first two hundred or so years it was ...
(to the east)
Notes
External links
Cavendish Hotel London located on the corner of
Jermyn Street
Jermyn Street is a One-way traffic, 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 r ...
and
Duke Street, St James's.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint James's Street
Streets in the City of Westminster
St James's
A4 road (England)
Odonyms referring to religion