St James 's Palace - wikipedia St James 's Palace Not to be confused with St James 's Place. St James 's Palace Main entrance of St James 's Palace in Pall Mall Location London, SW1 United Kingdom Coordinates 51 ° 30 ′ 17 '' N 00 ° 08 ′ 15 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 51.50472 ° N 0.13750 ° W ﻿ / 51.50472 ; - 0.13750 Coordinates : 51 ° 30 ′ 17 '' N 00 ° 08 ′ 15 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 51.50472 ° N 0.13750 ° W ﻿ / 51.50472 ; - 0.13750 Built 1531 - 1536 Architectural style ( s ) Tudor Location of St James 's Palace in central London St James 's Palace is the most senior royal palace in the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, although no longer the principal residence of the monarch, it is the ceremonial meeting place of the Accession Council and the London residence of several members of the royal family. Built by King Henry VIII on the site of a leper hospital dedicated to Saint James the Less, the palace was secondary in importance to the Palace of Whitehall for most Tudor and Stuart monarchs. The palace increased in importance during the reigns of the early Georgian monarchy, but was displaced by Buckingham Palace in the late - 18th and early - 19th centuries. After decades of being used increasingly for only formal occasions, the move was formalised by Queen Victoria in 1837. Today the palace houses a number of official offices, societies and collections and all ambassadors and high commissioners to the United Kingdom are still accredited to the Court of St James 's. Mainly built between 1531 and 1536 in red - brick, the palace 's architecture is primarily Tudor in style. A fire in 1809 destroyed parts of the structure, including the monarch 's private apartments, which were never replaced. Some 17th - century interiors survive, but most were remodelled in the 19th century. Contents 1 History 1.1 Tudors 1.2 Stuarts 1.3 House of Hanover 1.4 20th century 2 Today 3 See also 4 Notes 5 References 6 External links History Tudors The palace was commissioned by Henry VIII, on the site of a former leper hospital dedicated to Saint James the Less. The new palace, secondary in the king 's interest to Henry 's Whitehall Palace, was constructed between 1531 and 1536 as a smaller residence to escape formal court life. Much smaller than the nearby Whitehall, St James 's was arranged around a number of courtyards, including the Colour Court, the Ambassador 's Court and the Friary Court. The most recognisable feature is the north gatehouse ; constructed with four storeys, the gatehouse has two crenellated flanking 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. It is decorated with the initials H.A. for Henry and his second wife, Anne Boleyn. Henry constructed the palace in red brick, with detail picked out in darker brick. The palace was remodelled in 1544, with ceilings painted by Hans Holbein, and was described as a `` pleasant royal house ''. Two of Henry VIII 's children died at Saint James 's, Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Richmond and Somerset and Mary I. Elizabeth I often resided at the palace, and is said to have spent the night there while waiting for the Spanish Armada to sail up the Channel. Stuarts St James 's Palace, left, and The Mall, 1715. In 1638, Charles I gave the palace to Marie de Medici, the mother of his wife 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 for Cologne. Charles I spent his final night at St James 's before his execution. Oliver Cromwell then took it over, and turned it into barracks during the English Commonwealth period. Charles II, James II, Mary II and Anne were all born at the palace. The palace was restored by Charles II following the demise of the Commonwealth, laying out St James 's Park at the same time. It became the principal residence of the monarch in London in 1698, during the reign of William III and Mary II after Whitehall Palace was destroyed by fire, and became the administrative centre of the monarchy, a role it retains. House of Hanover The Chapel Royal, St James 's Palace marriage of the future King George V ( 1893 ). The first two monarchs of the House of Hanover used St James 's Palace as their principal London residence. George I and George II both housed their mistresses, the Duchess of Kendal and the Countess of Suffolk respectively, at the palace. In 1757, George II donated the Palace library to the British Museum ; this gift was the first part of what later became the Royal Collection. In 1809, a fire destroyed part of the palace, including the monarch 's private apartments at the south east corner. These apartments were not replaced, leaving the Queen 's Chapel in isolation, and Marlborough Road now runs between the two buildings. George III found St James 's increasingly unsuitable. The Tudor palace was regarded as uncomfortable and too cramped for his ever - growing family. In 1762 George purchased Buckingham House -- the predecessor to Buckingham Palace -- for his queen, Charlotte of Mecklenburg - Strelitz The royal family began to spend the majority of their time at Buckingham House, with St James 's being used for only the most formal of occasions ; thrice - weekly levées and public audiences were still held there. In the late 18th century, George III refurbished the state apartments but neglected the living quarters. Queen Victoria formalised the move in 1837, ending St James 's status as the primary residence of the monarch. It was nevertheless where Victoria married her husband, Prince Albert, in 1840, and where, eighteen years later, Victoria and Albert 's eldest child, Princess Victoria, married her husband, Prince Frederick of Prussia. For most of the time of the personal union between Great Britain ( later the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland ) and the Electorate of Hanover from 1714 until 1837 the ministers of the German Chancery were working in two small rooms within St James 's Palace. St James 's Palace in 1819 North Front King 's Presence Chamber Queen 's Levée Room Guard Chamber From a series of paintings by Charles Wild, as published in W.H. Pyne ( 1819 ), The History of the Royal Residences 20th century Second Round Table Conference ( September -- December 1931 ) pertaining to Indian independence was held here. On 12 June 1941, Representatives of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the Union of South Africa, and of the exiled governments of Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Greece, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, and Yugoslavia, as well as General de Gaulle of France, met and signed the Declaration of St James 's Palace which was the first of six treaties signed that established the United Nations and composed the Charter of the United Nations. Today Friary Court at St James 's Palace, 2017 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 of the Princess Royal ; Princess Beatrice of York ; Princess Eugenie of York ; and Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy. 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. The Palace forms part of a sprawling complex of buildings housing Court offices and officials ' apartments. The immediate palace complex includes York House, the former home of the Prince of Wales and his sons, Princes William and Harry. Lancaster House located next - door, is used by HM Government for official receptions, and the nearby Clarence House, the former home of the Queen Mother is now the residence of the Prince of Wales. The nearby Queen 's Chapel, built by Inigo Jones, adjoins St James 's Palace. While the Queen 's Chapel is open to the public at selected times, the Chapel Royal in the palace is not accessible to the public. They both remain active places of worship. The offices of the Royal Collection Department, the Marshal of the Diplomatic Corps, the Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood, the Chapel Royal, the Gentlemen at Arms, the Yeomen of the Guard and the Queen 's Watermen are all housed at St James 's Palace. Since the beginning of the 2000s, the Royal Philatelic Collection has been housed at St James 's Palace, after spending the entire 20th century at Buckingham Palace. On 1 June 2007 the palace, Clarence House and other buildings within its curtilage ( other than public pavement on Marlborough Road ) were designated as a protected site for the purposes of Section 128 of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005. The effect of the act was to make it a specific criminal offence for a person to trespass into the site. See also List of British Royal residences Court of St James 's Notes Jump up ^ The uncertainty as to which Saint James was intended is expressed in the 1874 work Old 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. References ^ Jump up to : Edward Walford ( 1878 ). `` St James 's Palace ''. Old and New London : Volume 4. Institute of Historical Research. Retrieved 10 October 2014. ^ Jump up to : Wagner, John ; Walters Schmid, Susan ( 2011 ). Encyclopedia of Tudor England. CA, USA : ABC Clio. pp. 1054 -- 1055. ISBN 1598842994. Jump up ^ British History online Chapter IX : St Ja, es 's Palace Access date 15 October 2014 ^ Jump up to : Perry, Maria ( 1999 ). The Word of a Prince : A Life of Elizabeth I from Contemporary Documents. Suffolk, UK : Boydell Press. p. 15. ISBN 0851156339. Jump up ^ `` St James 's Palace : History ''. The British Monarchy. n.d. Retrieved 10 October 2014. Jump up ^ Wheatley, H. ; Cunningham, P ( 2011 ) ( 1891 ). London Past and Present : Its History, Associations, and Traditions. Cambridge, UK : Cambridge University Press. pp. 285 -- 287. ISBN 1108028071. Jump up ^ 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. Jump up ^ `` Books and Manuscripts ''. Royal Collection. Retrieved 24 May 2011. Jump up ^ Nash, Roy ( 1980 ). Buckingham Palace : The Place and the People. London : Macdonald Futura. ISBN 0354045296. Jump up ^ Black, J. ( 2004 ). George III : America 's Last King. CT, USA : Yale University Press. p. 174. ISBN 0300117329. Jump up ^ `` 1941 : The Declaration of St. James ' Palace ''. United Nations. Retrieved 28 March 2016. ^ Jump up to : `` Saint James 's Palace : Today ''. The British Monarchy. n.d. Retrieved 10 October 2014. Jump up ^ `` Home Office Circular 018 / 2007 ( Trespass on protected sites - sections 128 - 131 of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 ) ''. GOV.UK. Home Office. 22 May 2007. Retrieved 18 July 2017. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to St. James 's Palace. Historic photos of St James ' Palace Nikolaus Pevsner, The Buildings of England : London 6 : Westminster ( 2003 ), pp 594 -- 601 London portal Royal palaces and residences in the United Kingdom Occupied Bagshot Park Balmoral Castle, Birkhall, Craigowan Lodge & Delnadamph Lodge Buckingham Palace Gatcombe Park Highgrove House Hillsborough Castle Holyrood Palace St James 's Palace & Clarence House Kensington Palace & Wren House Llwynywermod Sandringham House & Anmer Hall Tamarisk ( Isles of Scilly ) Thatched House Lodge Windsor Castle & Royal Lodge, Windsor Historical principal royal residences St James 's Palace Hampton Court Palace Tower of London Windsor Castle Historical Abergeldie Castle Albany ( London ) Allerton Castle Audley End House Palace of Beaulieu Barnwell Manor Beaumont Palace Fort Belvedere, Windsor Bentley Priory Berkhamsted Castle Birch Hall, Surrey Brantridge Park Bridewell Palace Brill Palace Bushy House Cadzow Castle Caernarfon Castle Cambridge Cottage, Kew Cambridge House Carisbrooke Castle Carlton House Castle Hill Lodge, Ealing Castlewood House, Surrey Chelsea Manor Chesterfield House, Greenwich Chevening Chideock Manor Chiswick House Christ Church, Oxford Claremont Clarendon Palace Cliveden Coombe Abbey Coppins Crocker End House Crosby Hall, London Cumberland Cottage Cumberland House Cumberland Lodge Dolphin Square Doune Castle Dover House Dublin Castle Dunfermline Palace Eastwell Park Edinburgh Castle Eltham Palace Falkland Palace Frogmore House Gloucester House Gloucester House, London Gloucester Lodge Gunnersbury Park Hampton Court Palace Hanworth Manor Hatfield House Havering Palace Ingestre House Kent House ( Isle of Wight ) Kew House ( Isle of Wight ) Kew Palace Kingsbourne House King 's House, Winchester Kings Langley Palace Lancaster House Leeds Castle Leicester Square Les Jolies Eaux Linlithgow Palace Tower of London Marlborough House Castle of Mey Nether Lypiatt Manor Nonsuch Palace Norfolk House Oak Grove House Oatlands Palace Oatlands Park Osborne Cottage Osborne House Palace of Placentia Queen Charlotte 's Cottage, Kew Queen 's House Ranger 's House Ribsden Holt Richmond Palace & White Lodge Romenda Lodge Royal City of Dublin Hospital Royal Pavilion, Aldershot Royal Pavilion, Brighton Sagana Lodge Savile House Savoy Palace Schomberg House Somerset House Stirling Castle Sunninghill Park Sussex House The More Theobalds Palace Walmer Castle Palace of Westminster Palace of Whitehall & the Banqueting House Windlesham Moor Witley Court Woodstock Palace York Cottage, Sandringham York House, St James 's Palace London landmarks Buildings and structures Bridges Albert Bridge Blackfriars Bridge Hungerford Bridge and Golden Jubilee Bridges Lambeth Bridge London Bridge Millennium Footbridge Southwark Bridge Tower Bridge Vauxhall Bridge Waterloo Bridge Westminster Bridge Entertainment venues Cinemas Empire, Leicester Square BFI IMAX Odeon Leicester Square Football stadia Wembley Stadium ( national stadium ) Craven Cottage ( Fulham ) The Den ( Millwall ) Emirates Stadium ( Arsenal ) Loftus Road ( Queens Park Rangers ) Olympic Stadium ( West Ham United ) Selhurst Park ( Crystal Palace ) Stamford Bridge ( Chelsea ) The Valley ( Charlton Athletic ) White Hart Lane ( Tottenham Hotspur ) Other major sports venues All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club The Championship Course ( rowing ) Crystal Palace National Sports Centre Lord 's ( cricket ) Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park The Oval ( cricket ) Twickenham Stadium ( rugby ) Theatres London Coliseum London Palladium The Old Vic Royal National Theatre Royal Opera House Shakespeare 's Globe Theatre Royal, Drury Lane Theatre Royal Haymarket Other Alexandra Palace Brixton Academy ExCeL Hammersmith Apollo O2 Arena Royal Albert Hall Royal Festival Hall Wembley Arena Government 10 Downing Street Admiralty Arch Bank of England City Hall County Hall Guildhall Horse Guards Mansion House National Archives Old Bailey Palace of Westminster Royal Courts of Justice Scotland Yard SIS Building Museums and galleries British Museum Cutty Sark Golden Hinde HMS Belfast Imperial War Museum Madame Tussauds Museum of London National Gallery National Maritime Museum Natural History Museum Royal Academy of Arts Royal Observatory Science Museum Tate Britain Tate Modern Tower of London Victoria and Albert Museum Places of worship All Hallows - by - the - Tower BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Bevis Marks Synagogue Methodist Central Hall Regent 's Park Mosque St Martin - in - the - Fields St Mary - le - Bow St Paul 's Cathedral Southwark Cathedral Westminster Abbey Westminster Cathedral Retailing Shops Fortnum & Mason Hamleys Harrods Liberty Peter Jones Selfridges Shopping centres and markets Borough Market Brent Cross Burlington Arcade Kensington Arcade Leadenhall Market The Mall Wood Green One New Change Petticoat Lane Market Royal Exchange Westfield London Westfield Stratford City Royal buildings Partly occupied by Royal Family Buckingham Palace Clarence House Kensington Palace St James 's Palace Unoccupied Banqueting House Hampton Court Palace Kew Palace The Queen 's Gallery Royal Mews, Buckingham Palace Skyscrapers 1 Canada Square 8 Canada Square 20 Fenchurch Street 30 St Mary Axe 125 London Wall Broadgate Tower BT Tower Centre Point Citigroup Centre Heron Tower Leadenhall Building Lloyd 's building Millbank Tower Senate House The Shard Shell Centre St George Wharf Tower Strata SE1 Tower 42 Structures Albert Memorial ArcelorMittal Orbit Cleopatra 's Needle Crystal Palace transmitting station London Eye London Wall Marble Arch Monument to the Great Fire Nelson 's Column Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain ( `` Eros '' ) Thames Barrier Wellington Arch Transport City Airport Heathrow Airport Charing Cross station Clapham Junction station Euston station King 's Cross station Liverpool Street station London Bridge station Paddington station St Pancras station Victoria station Waterloo station Emirates Air Line Victoria Coach Station Other Barbican Estate Battersea Power Station British Library Kew Gardens Lambeth Palace London Zoo Oxo Tower St Bartholomew 's Hospital Smithfield Market Somerset House Parks Royal Parks Bushy Park Green Park Greenwich Park Hampton Court Park Hyde Park Kensington Gardens Regent 's Park Richmond Park St. James 's Park Other Battersea Park Burgess Park Clapham Common College Green Epping Forest Finsbury Park Gunnersbury Park Hampstead Heath Holland Park Mitcham Common Osterley Park Trent Park Victoria Park Wandsworth Common Wimbledon Common Squares and public spaces Covent Garden Horse Guards Parade Leicester Square Oxford Circus Parliament Square Piccadilly Circus Sloane Square Trafalgar Square Streets Aldwych Baker Street Bishopsgate Bond Street Cannon Street Carnaby Street Chancery Lane Charing Cross Road Cheapside Cornhill Denmark Street Fenchurch Street Fleet Street Haymarket Jermyn Street Kensington High Street King 's Road Lombard Street The Mall Oxford Street Park Lane Piccadilly Portobello Road Regent Street Shaftesbury Avenue Sloane Street Strand Threadneedle Street Tottenham Court Road Victoria Embankment Whitehall Buildings and structures under construction shown in italics Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=St_James%27s_Palace&oldid=805738144 '' Categories : Grade I listed buildings in the City of Westminster Grade I listed palaces Palaces in London Royal residences in the City of Westminster Tudor royal palaces in England Hidden categories : Use dmy dates from February 2011 Coordinates on Wikidata All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from April 2017 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Afrikaans Беларуская Български Català Čeština Cymraeg Dansk Deutsch Ελληνικά Español Euskara فارسی Français Gaeilge 한국어 हिन्दी Bahasa Indonesia Italiano עברית Македонски Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Polski Português Română Русский Simple English Slovenčina Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Svenska ไทย Türkçe Українська اردو 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 17 October 2017, at 09 : 29. 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Question: where did the british royal family live before buckingham palace
Answer: St James's Palace