I found myself standing on St. Jamess’s Street, amongst historical buildings and famous posh shopping outlets—completely unaware of their importance or historical values whatsoever. It could have been any other block for all I knew. Thankfully I found my surroundings to be “picture worthy,” and as I snapped off some photos, I thought to myself, I wonder what this place is?
I generally pride myself in finding unique places—at minimum, being aware of my surroundings. How did I get this one wrong? Simply put, I did not come to St. James’s Street as a tourist—at least not for it’s sightseeing values. I had come to St. James’s Street to visit Truefitt & Hill barbershop to pamper myself with a hot towel wet shave. I had no idea the surrounding buildings were of any particular importance. I showed up for my shave, and upon completion, would head back to my hotel.
If you haven’t read about my experience at Truefitt and Hill, you can click here to read about it. I had left Kathie behind at the hotel and made my way to St. James’s Street via Piccadilly. Looking at a map, I noticed I was just a short walk from The Mall, the road that leads into Buckingham Palace. Though I had already seen Buckingham Palace, rather than head back down Piccadilly, I decided to take the alternate route back via The Mall. So as Kathie waited back at the hotel, I ventured out to do some exploring!
Berry Bros & Rudd
I had departed Truefitt & Hill onto St. James’s Street, which runs from Piccadilly (to my left) to St. James’s Palace and Pall Mall (to my right). Having just received the most expensive shave I could ever imagine—and that’s before the currency conversion—I felt like I belonged in this posh environment I found myself. I admired a building across the street, Berry Bros & Rudd Wine Merchants. This was lost opportunity; I should have gone in! I fired off a couple of pics, did some research after the fact, and discover some interesting facts about this establishment:
- Founded in 1698 in this very building at 3 St. James’s Place.
- Employs six Masters of Wine, more than any other company in the world
- On March 23, 1923, they launched the well known Scotch Whisky Cutty Sark
- They are Britain’s oldest wine and spirits merchant
Obviously I would have had a greater appreciation for this establishment had I known these facts at the time; but I admit, I was just as fascinated to learn that this place, which had pressed upon me the desire to capture it’s image, possessed such a history.
I am most impressed not only by the length of time this business has been in operation, but the fact that they have been at he same location the whole time. To think, Ben Franklin may have been a patron at this very spot during his time spent in London—which would have already been in business for several years. When the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776, Berry Bros & Rudd would have been celebrating their 78th year in business at 3 St. James’s Street, an achievement in it’s own right!
St. James’s Palace
Making my way down St. James’s Street, I approached a large building that took control of the landscape. This must be important, I thought to myself. It was! The presence of Beefeaters confirmed my suspicion, but I would have never guessed it’s historical value.
- This Tudor style building was built by King Henry VIII from 1531 to 1536
- It is the oldest Royal Palace in the United kingdom
- Still the official residence of the Sovereign, even though Buckingham Palace became the principal Royal Residence in 1837
Pall Mall
St. James’s Street ends at St. James’s Palace where it connects to Pall Mall. Unfortunately I didn’t walk down Pall Mall; Instead, I veered off onto Marlborough Street, which led me to The Mall. I know this is all confusing! What I found to be even more confusing is why they didn’t put Parliament at the corner of Pall Mall and Marlborough—that would have been Kool. I would consider walking into that scenario a Lucky Strike; but since Parliament is on the other end of town, there’s no Merit to what I’m saying. Ok, I’ll stop that now; but not before providing a few facts about Pall Mall, other than being a cigarette brand, of course:
- A street in London that connects Trafalgar Square to St. James’s Street
- Built in 1661
- The name is derived from “pall-mall,” a lawn game that was popular in the 16th and 17th century—a precursor to croquet
- It is believed there has been a road on this location since Saxon times
The Queen’s Chapel
Moving on down Marlborough Street, directly across from the courtyard at St. James’s Palace sits The Queen’s Chapel.
- Built as part of St. James’s Palace between 1623-1625
- Built under Charles I for his Catholic Queen Henrietta Maria
- Built as a Roman Catholic Chapel during a period when the construction of Catholic churches were prohibited in England
- Following her death in 2002, the body of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother lay in state for several days at Queen’s Chapel while preparations were made for her lying in state at Westminster Abbey
The Mall
- Road that runs between Buckingham Palace and Trafalgar Square at Admiralty Arch
- The Mall began as a playing field for Pall-Mall
- Created in 1911 as a ceremonial route from Trafalgar Square, through Admiralty Arch, to Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace
My walk down The Mall led me to Buckingham Palace, the official London residence and administrative headquarters of the monarch.
- Built as a townhouse for the Duke of Buckingham in 1703
- Acquired by King George III in 1761 for his wife Queen Charlotte so the family could have a private home that was close to the royal residence at St. James’s Palace
- Queen Victoria made this her Royal Residence in 1837
- If the Union Jack is flying overhead, the Queen is away. If she’s home, the Royal Standard is raised
Leaving Buckingham Palace I made my way through Green Park back to the hotel. We had reservations for afternoon tea at the hotel, but there were a few hours to kill so we ventured out for more exploration—yes, I included Kathie this time. We had been doing a lot of walking and Kathie was having trouble with her feet. She hoped to get a new pair of shoes—I’ll tell you now she never did—so we decided to head to Oxford street to do some shopping!
Burlington Arcade
On our way to Oxford Street, we passed through Burlington Arcade—a luxurious covered shopping pavilion.
- Runs behind Bond Street from Piccadilly to Burlington Gardens
- Built in 1818 by 1st Earl of Burlington
- It was almost destroyed by fire in 1836, 1871, and 1936
- Parts of the Arcade were damaged during bombing raids during WWII
BBC
We walked down Oxford Street, past Oxford Circle, and just as we were about to turn around, I noticed something familiar. I remembered seeing video of U2 performing live on top of the BBC in London. From a distance, I would swear the building down the road was the same building. Despite having to be back for our tea time, I had to check it out. Sure enough—it was! Having no expectations of seeing anything of interest, this sighting certainly made the moment.
Now … it is time for tea!