Building of the Week: St. James Palace, London



St. James Palace
The British Monarchy

 Considered by some to be, “low and mean,” St. James Palace is the oldest of the Royal Residences and though no sovereign has resided there in over two centuries, it is still titled as the official residence of the monarch. In reality, however, it is actually the base of The Royal Court as opposed to a literal official residence. In fact, the Royal Court takes its official name from the palace as it’s still known as “The Court of St. James.”


Today, the palace is infrequently used though it does serve as a home for HRH Anne, The Princess Royal and Princess Alexandra, The Honorable Lady Ogilvy. Similarly, the staff members who look after the Princes William and Harry also reside at the palace. St. James Palace is part of a larger, sprawling complex of Royal buildings which include Clarence House (the former home of The Queen Mother, now the home of Charles, the Prince of Wales) and York House (the former home of the Prince of Wales and his sons) and Lancaster House. The entire complex is home to many offices and reception halls in addition to spacious apartments for visiting dignitaries.

The British Monarchy

Built in 1532, St. James Palace was originally the home of Henry VIII who had the palace erected on land which had once been the location of a Leper Hospital dedicated to St. James the Less. Originally, the complex stretched across Pall Mall, north of St. James Park. When an 1809 fire destroyed the Royal Apartments, they were not rebuilt, leaving a large space between the palace and the Chapel Royal which ultimately was filled by Marlborough Road.

The Chapel Royal
The British Monarchy

Henry VIII enjoyed the palace, but later monarchs found the rigid Tudor architecture unwelcoming and unbefitting the city home of the sovereign. With its red brick exterior, octagonal turrets and mock battlements, the building looks more like a fortress than a palace. Still, it remained the residence of the King until the time of George III. George’s wife, Charlotte, despised the palace, finding it cold and unfriendly. For that reason, George III installed his wife in Buckingham House which would later be restyled into Buckingham Palace.

Being the oldest palace in Britain, St. James Palace has been the birth and death place of many a noble historical figure. Two of Henry VIII’s children died there. It was also the birthplace of Anne of Great Britain , William Neville Hart , and Charles II of England.

By the time of King George IV, the palace had fallen out of favor and was only used for formal occasions. In 1837, Queen Victoria moved the official residence of the sovereign to Buckingham Palace.