St. James's Palace

House & Family History: The Palace's name comes from the Augustinian hospital for leprous women, the Hospital of St. James, Westminster, that stood on the site in the 13th century. Henry VIII purchased the hospital's land in 1532 to build a small royal palace. Elizabeth I was living at St. James's during the campaign against the Spanish Armada; Charles I was a prisoner in the Palace before his execution in January 1649. Charles II, James II, Mary II, and Anne were all born here. St. James's Palace did not become the official residence of the monarch until 1702, when Queen Anne brought the court to St. James's after a 1698 fire burned Whitehall Palace. St. James's remained the sovereign's official residence until Victoria came to the throne in 1837 and moved the court to Buckingham Palace. Each new sovereign is proclaimed from the balcony in the courtyard of Friary Court. Though the monarch's actual London residence is today at Buckingham Palace, foreign ambassadors and high commissioners are still formally accredited to the Court of St. James's, and it remains the official seat of the monarchy. In 1952 Elizabeth II made her first speech as queen from St James's Palace.

Chapel & Church: Within St. James's are two chapels: The Queen's Chapel and the Chapel Royal, considered one of the jewels of Tudor London. It is one of five chapels royal in London and owes it allegiance directly to the sovereign, not a bishop. The Chapel Royal has had many noted organists and composers; among them were George Frederick Handel (appointed by George II as "Composer of Musick of His Majesty's Chappel Royal"), William Byrd, Orlando Gibbons, and Henry Purcell; Purcell also lived in a suite of apartments in St James's Palace. The Queen's Chapel is located across the street from the Palace and is one of the masterpieces of Inigo Jones. It was built 1623-27 and is the first church in England built in a completely Classical style. Its large clear glass Palladian (or Venetian) window was probably the first such window in England.

Architect: Inigo Jones

Date of Birth: 1573
Date of Death: 1652
Nationality: English
Notes: One of the most important British architects of the last three centuries, Jones was the first significant British architect of the early modern period and the first to employ Vitruvian rules of proportion and symmetry in his buildings. Most famous for introducing the classical Palladian style of architecture into England during the reign of James I (Jones was entranced by Palladio and bought a large number of his drawings), Jones began his career in the theater, where was responsible for staging over 500 performances. He frequently collaborated with Ben Jonson and is credited with introducing movable scenery and the proscenium arch to English theater. He also achieved fame in his pre-architecture life a designer of lavish masques for the Court, for which he is still remembered today. Jones was born in London of Welsh parents (his father was a cloth worker) and trained as a carpenter. Undeniably a man of genius, he was probably the greatest British architect of the 17th century (he was described by a contemporary as "our Kingdome's most Artfull and Ingenious Architect"). Jones was Surveyor-General of the King's Works from 1615 until the beginning of the Civil War in 1642, during which he worked continuously on the royal residences. When the Civil War erupted Jones found himself in a compromising position; he was identified with the Court, most specifically with the Catholic Queen, Henrietta Maria, for whom he performed much work. In the new world dominated by Oliver Cromwell, this was seen as unpatriotic or treasonous; the Parliamentarians seized his property and fined him heavily. He never recovered from the Civil War and, in 1652, he died at Somerset House, a broken and poverty-stricken man.

Date: 1623-27
Designed: The Queen's Chapel

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Architect: Christopher Wren

Date: 1703
Designed: Rebuilt state rooms

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Title: Best Buildings of England, The
Author: Pevsner, Nikolaus
Year Published: 1986
Reference: pg. 122
Publisher: London: Viking
ISBN: 0670812838
Book Type: Hardback

House Listed: Grade I

Park Listed: No Park

Current Seat / Home of: HM The Queen

Past Seat / Home of: King Henry VIII, 16th century. Queen Anne, 18th century.

Current Ownership Type: The Crown / Royal Family

Primary Current Ownership Use: Private Home

Ownership Details: Owned by the crown and used as a residence for members of the royal family. The palace also contains a conservation center for the Royal Collection.

House Open to Public: No

Historic Houses Member: No

St. James's Palace

House, Family & Collections History

Gardens, Outbuildings, Chapel & Church History

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