St James is London’s Royal Village and several of our London walks take in its streets, alleyways and squares.
This is the area of the gentlemen’s clubs (the majority of which now also admit women). Our walk through the area begins at Green Park Underground Station and walks past the park to get a wonderful view of Spencer House built for John, first Earl Spencer between 1756 and 1766. He was, incidentally, an ancestor of Diana, Princess of Wales (1961 - 1997).
Next door to Spencer House is the former home of Politician and Statesman William Huskisson, whose place in history is assured by the fact that he was the first person to be killed by a steam train. The accident happened in 1830 when Huskisson was attending the opening of the Liverpool to Manchester Railway and he was run over by Stephenson’s Rocket.
Not far from here, you can stand outside St James’s Palace, the brick Tower of which dates back to the 1500’s when it was built by King Henry V111. It is a popular stop on our Royal London walks as you often find guards standing outside its main gate and our clients can stand alongside them and have their photographs taken. Be warned though, the moment a guard stamps his foot he is going to undertake a march back and forth and no-one stops him. If you are in his way you need to move quickly!
Walking away from the palace along Pall Mall you pass some elegant old properties, the majority of which are now offices. Tucked away in Red Lion Court on the left is the lovely old Red Lion Pub, one of the West End’s oldest hostelries and the perfect place to enjoy lunch or a light libation.
But, continuing along Pall Mall your Royal London walks will bring you Waterloo Place on the right.
Waterloo Place was originally a forecourt intended to show off the grand entrance of the Prince Regent’s Carlton House, which stood where Carlton House Terrace now stands.
Carlton House was demolished in the 1820’s and permission was given for two new clubhouses to be erected.
Thus were built the Athenaeum (the first building on the right) and the United Service club (which stands on the opposite corner of Waterloo Place).
It was stated that both clubs were to be of identical design, but since each had chosen its own architect neither would agree to this stipulation.
The United Service clubhouse was designed by John Nash and was known as The Senior because its membership was restricted to officers of the Army and Navy of Filed rank.
The Athenaeum was founded as a club for writers, artists and scientists by John Wilson Crocker a writer and politician who was Secretary of the Navy and was the man who coined the name “Conservative” for the Tory party.
The club house was designed by Decimus Burton, but it was Crocker who decided it should be adorned with the frieze, a copy of the Parthenon marbles, that runs across the upper level. It cost the astronomical sum of £2,000, an expenditure that much annoyed the members who would rather the money had been spent on an ice house to keep the meat fresh and the food chilled. But Crocker overruled the wishes of the membership and up went the frieze, causing one wag to pen the lines
I’m John Wilson Crocker
I do as I please
they ask for an ice house
I’ll give them a frieze.
The rivalry between the two clubs in the 19th century was legendary, and as more and more Bishop’s became members of the Athenaeum the members of the Senior began referring to it as Bishopsgate (after a gate in to the City of London that used to stand close to where Liverpool Street Station now stands).
Since so many decrepit old army and navy officers were members of The Senior the Athenaeum membership started referring to it as Cripplegate (after another of the City gates which stood close to where London Wall now stands in the City of London).
In 1858 Decimus Burton remodelled the Senior and made it more or less identical to the Athenaeum. The United Services was forced to close in 1976 and the Institute of Directors now occupies the building.
These stories our typical of the little nuggets of information and fascinating anecdotes that you are likely to hear on our London walks. There are a lot more on our Royal London walk through the village of St. James’s and you will leave the tour with a deep affection for what is without shadow of a doubt a truly intriguing part of London.
