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St James's Palace

Coordinates:51°30′17″N00°08′16″W/ 51.50472°N 0.13778°W/51.50472; -0.13778
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Not to be confused withSt James's Place.

St James's Palace
The north gatehouse, main entrance of St James's Palace inPall Mall
Map
General information
Architectural styleTudor
LocationLondon,United Kingdom
Coordinates51°30′17″N00°08′16″W/ 51.50472°N 0.13778°W/51.50472; -0.13778
Construction started1531;493 years ago(1531)
Completed1536;488 years ago(1536)
ClientHenry VIII
OwnerKing Charles IIIin right ofthe Crown

St James's Palaceis the most senior royal palace inLondon,the capital of theUnited Kingdom.The palace gives its name to theCourt of St James's,which is the monarch'sroyal court,and is located in theCity of Westminsterin London. Although no longer the principal residence of the monarch, it is the ceremonial meeting place of theAccession Council,the office of theMarshal of the Diplomatic Corps,and the London residence of several members of theroyal family.

Built by order of KingHenry VIIIin the 1530s on the site of an isolated leper hospital dedicated toSaint James the Less,the palace was secondary in importance to thePalace of Whitehallfor mostTudorandStuartmonarchs. Initially surrounded by a deer park and gardens, it was generally used as a hunting lodge and as a retreat from the formal court and occasionally as a royal guest house. After thePalace of Whitehall burned down,the palace took on administrative functions for the monarchy. It increased in importance during the reigns of theHanoverianmonarchs but began to be displaced byBuckingham Palacein the early 19th century. After decades of being used increasingly only for formal occasions, the move was formalised byQueen Victoriain 1837.

The palace now houses a number of offices, official societies and collections, and all ambassadors and high commissioners to the United Kingdom are still accredited to the Court of St James's. The palace'sChapel Royalis still used for functions of theBritish royal family.Official receptions are also regularly hosted at the palace.

The palace was mainly built between 1531 and 1536 inred brick,and its architecture is primarilyTudorin style. TheQueen's Chapelwas added in the 1620s, andClarence Housewas built on palace grounds directly next to the Palace in the 1820s. A fire in 1809 destroyed parts of the palace, including the monarch's private apartments, which were never replaced. Some 17th-century interiors survive, but most were remodelled in the 19th century.

History

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Tudors

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The palace was commissioned byHenry VIIIon the remote site of a formerleperhospital dedicated toSaint James the Less.[n 1]He first used it as a hunting lodge for his newly enclosed deer park,St. James's Park.[2]The new palace, secondary in the king's interest to Henry'sWhitehall Palace,was constructed between 1531 and 1536 as a smaller residence to escape formal court life.[3]Much smaller than the nearby Whitehall, St James's is arranged around four courtyards, the Colour Court, the Ambassador's Court, the Engine Court, and theFriary Court.The four courts remain enclosed, except for Friary Court, which in modern times is only enclosed by apartments on three sides, with the fourth side open to Marlborough Road to accommodate public gatherings. The most recognisable feature of the palace is the north gatehouse; constructed with four storeys, the gatehouse has twocrenellatedflanking octagonal towers at its corners, and a central clock dominating the uppermost floor and gable; the clock is a later addition and dates from 1731, refurbished 1834.[4]The palace is decorated with the initialsH.A.for Henry and his second wife,Anne Boleyn.Henry had the palace constructed in red brick, with detail picked out in darker brick.[3]

The palace was remodelled in 1544, with ceilings painted byHans Holbeinand was described as a "pleasant royal house".[5]Two of Henry VIII's children died at Saint James's,Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Richmond and Somerset,andMary I.[6][7]Elizabeth Ioften resided at the palace, and is said to have spent the night there while waiting for theSpanish Armadato sail up the Channel.[5]

Stuarts

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St James's Palace, left, andThe Mall,1715

Prince Henry, Prince of Wales,the eldest son ofKing JamesandAnne of Denmark,lived at St James's Palace until his death in 1612. The gardens were improved for him by Alphonsus Fowle.[8]A riding school, one of the first in England, was built for Henry at St James's Palace between 1607 and 1609, and then a library with sculptural decoration byMaximilian Colt.Henry also installed a menagerie with pet birds including a pair ofostriches.[9]

Charles IIwas born at the palace on 29 May 1630; his parents wereCharles I,who ruled the three kingdoms ofEngland,ScotlandandIreland,andHenrietta Maria,the sister of the French kingLouis XIII.James II,the second surviving son of King Charles I and Henrietta Maria, was born at the palace on 14 October 1633.[10]

In 1638, Charles I gave the palace toMarie de Medici,the mother of Henrietta Maria. Marie remained in the palace for three years, but the residence of a Catholic former queen of France proved unpopular with parliament and she was soon asked to leave forCologne.Charles spent his final night at St James's before hisexecution.[1]Oliver Cromwellthen took it over, and turned it into barracks during theEnglish Commonwealthperiod.[1]

The palace was restored by Charles II following the demise of the Commonwealth, landscapingSt James's Parkat the same time.Mary IIandAnne, Queen of Great Britain,were both born at the palace.[1]It became the principal residence of the monarch in London in 1698, during the reign ofWilliam III,afterWhitehall Palacewas destroyed by fire, and became the administrative centre of the monarchy, a role it retains, in part. Also, at the time of the loss of Whitehall, theChapel Royalmoved its base into thecastle chapelat St. James's.

Hanoverians

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Queen Victoria's wedding toPrince Albertin theChapel Royal, St James's Palace,painting byGeorge Hayter,1842
The Chapel Royal, St James's Palace, showing the marriage of the future KingGeorge V(1893), byLaurits Tuxen.Royal Collection.

The first two monarchs of theHouse of Hanoverused St James's Palace as their principal London residence.George IandGeorge IIboth housed their mistresses, theDuchess of Kendaland theCountess of Suffolkrespectively, at the palace.[1]In 1757, George II donated the Palace library to theBritish Museum;[11]this gift was the first part of what later became theRoyal Collection.[12]

George IIIfound St James's unsuitable. The Tudor palace was regarded as uncomfortable and its now built up area as not affording its residents enough privacy, or the space to withdraw from the court into family life. In 1762, shortly after his wedding, George purchased Buckingham House – the predecessor toBuckingham Palace– for his queen,Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.[13]In 1809, a fire destroyed part of St James's Palace, including the monarch's private apartments at the south-east corner.[14]These apartments were not replaced, leaving theQueen's Chapelisolated from the rest of the palace by an open area, where Marlborough Road now runs between the two buildings.[15]The royal family began spending the majority of their time at Buckingham House, with St James's used for only formal occasions; thrice-weeklylevéesand public audiences were still held there. In the late 18th century, George III refurbished thestate apartmentsbut neglected the living quarters.[16]The last monarch to take up residence at St. James's, at least part of the year, wasWilliam IV.He had earlier builtClarence Houseon adjacent palace grounds and connecting it to the palace.Queen Victoriaformalised the move in 1837, ending the status of St James's as the primary residence of the monarch; it became used during her reign as a venue for courts, levees and other ceremonies.[17]It was nevertheless where Victoria married her husband,Prince Albert,in 1840, and where, eighteen years later, their eldest child,Princess Victoriamarried her husband,Prince Frederick of Prussia.[1]

St James's Palace in 1819
  • North Front
    North Front
  • King's Presence Chamber
    King's Presence Chamber
  • Queen's Levée Room
    Queen's Levée Room
  • Guard Chamber
    Guard Chamber
From a series of paintings byCharles Wild,as published inWilliam Henry Pyne(1819), The History of the Royal Residences.

20th century

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In 1912–1913 the palace was the venue for the international conference that arranged thetreatybetween the Balkan states andTurkeyfollowing the twoBalkan Wars.[17]Edward VIIIwhen Prince of Wales used the palace as his 'town' residence until he moved intoMarlborough House,andGeorge VIas Duke of York resided there prior to his marriage in 1923.[17]The Second Round Table Conference (September–December 1931), pertaining to Indian independence, was held at the palace. On 12 June 1941, Representatives of the United Kingdom,Canada,Australia,New Zealand,theUnion of South Africa,and of the exiled governments ofBelgium,Czechoslovakia,Greece,Luxembourg,Netherlands,Norway,Poland,andYugoslavia,as well asGeneral Charles de Gaulleof France, met and signed theDeclaration of St James's Palace,which was the first of six treaties signed that established theUnited Nationsand composed theCharter of the United Nations.[18]

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The Proclamation Gallery overlookingFriary Courtat St James's Palace, London, where the proclamation of a new monarch is traditionally first read

The Proclamation Gallery is a part of St James's Palace, and it is used after the death of a reigning monarch. TheAccession Councilmeets to declare the new monarch. Once the monarch has made a sacred oath to the council, theGarter King of Armssteps onto the Proclamation Gallery, which overlooksFriary Court,to proclaim the new monarch.[19][20]Such an event last occurred on 10 September 2022 at the proclamation of KingCharles III.To allow the Garter King of Arms and the trumpeters access to the balcony, workers removed the centre window the prior day and installed a temporary door.[21]

Today

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St James's Palace is still a working palace, and the Royal Court is still formally based there, despite the monarch residing elsewhere. It is also the London residence ofPrincess Anne,Princess Beatrice,andPrincess Alexandra.The palace is used to host official receptions, such as those of visiting heads of state, and charities of which members of the royal family are patrons. It forms part of a sprawling complex of buildings housing Court offices and officials' apartments. The immediate palace complex includesYork House,the former home ofCharles IIIand his sons, PrincesWilliamandHarry.Lancaster House,located next door, is used byHM Governmentfor official receptions, and the attachedClarence House,the former home of theQueen Mother,is the residence ofKing Charles IIIandQueen Camilla.[22]The palace also served as the official residence ofPrincess Eugenieuntil April 2018.[23]

The nearbyQueen's Chapel,built byInigo Jones,although since the 19th century across Marlborough Road, is still considered part of the Palace. While the Queen's Chapel is open to the public at selected times, theChapel Royalin the palace is not accessible to the public. They both remain active places of worship.[22]

The offices of theRoyal Collection Department,theMarshal of the Diplomatic Corps,theCentral Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood,theChapel Royal,theGentlemen at Arms,theYeomen of the Guardand theKing's Watermenare all housed at St James's Palace. Since the beginning of the 2000s, theRoyal Philatelic Collectionhas been housed at St James's Palace, after spending the entire 20th century atBuckingham Palace.[22]

On 1 June 2007, the palace,Clarence Houseand other buildings within itscurtilage(other than public pavement on Marlborough Road) were designated as a protected site for the purposes of Section 128 of theSerious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005,making it a specific criminal offence for a person totrespassinto the site.[24]

Notes

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  1. ^The uncertainty as to which Saint James was intended is expressed in the 1874 workOld and New London,where the author refers to the dedication as to "St. James the Less, Bishop of Jerusalem".James the Just,brother of Jesus,was referred to as Bishop of Jerusalem, not James the Less.[1]

References

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  1. ^abcdefWalford, Edward (1878)."St James's Palace".Old and New London: Volume 4.Institute of Historical Research. Archived fromthe originalon 18 October 2014.Retrieved10 October2014.
  2. ^"St James's Park: Landscape History".The Royal Parks.Retrieved11 July2023.
  3. ^abWagner, John; Walters Schmid, Susan (2011).Encyclopedia of Tudor England.ABC Clio. pp. 1054–1055.ISBN978-1-5988-4298-2.Archivedfrom the original on 8 April 2023.Retrieved23 October2022.
  4. ^Walford, Edward (1878)."Chapter IX: St James's Palace"Archived21 October 2014 at theWayback Machine.Old and New London.London: Cassell, Petter & Galpin. Via British History Online. Accessed 9 September 2022.
  5. ^abPerry, Maria (1999).The Word of a Prince: A Life of Elizabeth I from Contemporary Documents.Suffolk: Boydell Press. p. 14.ISBN978-0-8511-5633-0.
  6. ^"St James's Palace: History".The British Monarchy.n.d.Archivedfrom the original on 9 March 2009.Retrieved10 October2014.
  7. ^Wheatley, Henry; Cunningham, Peter (2011) [1891].London Past and Present: Its History, Associations, and Traditions.Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 285–287.ISBN978-1-1080-2807-3.
  8. ^Shepperd, Edgar (1894)."Memorials of St. James's Palace".Vol. 1 London: Longmans Green. pp. 66-7.(registration required)
  9. ^Strong, Roy (1986).Henry Prince of Wales and England's Lost Renaissance.London: Thames & Hudson. pp. 64, 210–12.ISBN978-0-5000-1375-5.Archivedfrom the original on 8 April 2023.Retrieved23 October2022.
  10. ^Miller, 1
  11. ^Warner, George (1912).Queen Mary's Psalter Miniatures and Drawings by an English Artist of the 14th Century Reproduced from Royal Ms. 2 B. Vii in the British Museum(PDF).London: Britism Museum. p. n. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 23 May 2020.Retrieved24 May2011.
  12. ^"Books and Manuscripts".Royal Collection.Archivedfrom the original on 14 April 2011.Retrieved24 May2011.
  13. ^Nash, Roy (1980).Buckingham Palace: The Place and the People.London: Macdonald Futura.ISBN978-0-3540-4529-2.
  14. ^"Royal Residences: St James's Palace".The Royal Family.23 November 2015.Archivedfrom the original on 1 October 2022.Retrieved23 April2019.
  15. ^Bulo, Kate (9 January 2018)."St. James' Palace: Henry VIII knocked down a hospital for women with leprosy to build another royal residence".The Vintage News.Archivedfrom the original on 16 April 2019.Retrieved9 September2022.
  16. ^Black, Jeremy (2004).George III: America's Last King.New Haven, Conn.:Yale University Press.p. 174.ISBN978-0-3001-4238-9.
  17. ^abcA Pictorial and Descriptive Guide to London.London: Ward, Lock & Co Ltd. 1928. p. 108.
  18. ^"1941: The Declaration of St. James' Palace".United Nations.Archivedfrom the original on 25 February 2021.Retrieved28 March2016.
  19. ^Fodor's London 2014.Fodor's Travel. 13 August 2013.ISBN978-0-7704-3220-1.
  20. ^Wilkinson, Philip (30 January 2007).The British Monarchy For Dummies.John Wiley & Sons.ISBN978-0-4700-5931-9.
  21. ^"St James's Palace window removed to let King Charles proclamation ring out from balcony".The Daily Telegraph.London. 10 September 2022.Archivedfrom the original on 20 September 2022.Retrieved16 September2022– viaMSN.
  22. ^abc"St James's Palace: Today".The British Monarchy.n.d.Archivedfrom the original on 9 March 2009.Retrieved10 October2014.
  23. ^Perry, Simon (1 May 2018)."Princess Eugenie and Her Fiancé Jack Brooksbank Just Moved Next Door to Harry and Meghan!".People.Archivedfrom the original on 18 February 2020.Retrieved2 May2018.
  24. ^"Home Office Circular 018 / 2007 (Trespass on protected sites - sections 128–131 of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005)".Home Office.22 May 2007.Archivedfrom the original on 17 October 2017.Retrieved18 July2017.

Additional reading

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  • Wolf Burchard,'St James's Palace: George II and Queen Caroline's Principal London Residence', The Court Historian (2011), pp. 177–203.
  • Nikolaus Pevsner,The Buildings of England: London 6: Westminster (2003), pp 594–601
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