St James’s Area

St James's Area

The City of Westminster and an area of the West End of London are known as St James’s. In the 19th century, the area became a popular residence for the British aristocracy, and also witnessed the emergence of many gentlemen’s clubs. As a part of St Martin’s in the Fields from 1685 to 1922, much of it became St James. It was converted from residential to business use during the Second World War.

St. James’s is bordered by Piccadilly Road to the north, Green Park to the west, The Mall to the south, and Haymarket to the east.

History

The name of the area is derived from a hospital built to serve lepers in the 12th century. St James’s Palace is located at the site of the hospital. Because of its history of gentlemen’s clubs, the neighborhood was known as “Clubland”.

Regency Street St James has been officially merged with Waterloo Place, running between Piccadilly Circus and Piccadilly.

Local government

There was an ancient parish near St Martin in the Fields in Westminster, St James’s. A number of unsuccessful attempts were made to separate St James Church from the parish in 1664, 1668, and 1670, but St Martin’s vestry resisted them. St James’s Church was built in Piccadilly Square in 1684, which caused a new parish in Westminster to be created in 1685. The parish extended from the north side of Oxford Street to the south side of Pall Mall. It roughly corresponded to the area of St James’s Square in London, however it did extend into parts of Mayfair and Soho. Saint Martin in the Fields parish carved out the land south of Pall Mall. St. James’ Park was split between St Martin and St Margaret. In the past, St James’s Palace was considered extra-parochial and as such was not included in any parish. The new parish was given a select vestry.

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