St James's is a grand area of London edged by the city's landmark tourist attractions of Buckingham Palace, Houses of Parliament, Piccadilly Circus and Trafalgar Square.
And while these provide a lure for visitors, from all over the world, there is a great deal to offer the discerning visitor within St James's itself.
One has St James's Palace and the adjoining, delightful, St James's Park; over 150 listed buildings; the historic clubs along Pall Mall and truly one of a kind shops that can claim a pedigree stretching back centuries.
A long standing determination and ongoing commitment to the preservation of St James, as an area of distinct character, has been helped by the St James's and Green Parks providing a natural barrier.
And so today, St James's retains a sophisticated grandeur in one of the world's great city's.
The Stafford, in the very heart of St James's, is a hotel that epitomises and reflects the areas personality and appreciation of tradition.
An area steeped in Royal patronage
The St James'sarea of London was originally an open space and parkland surrounding the royal palace. This was built by Henry VIII between 1531 and 1536 on the site of the Hospital of St James.
It remained the official residence of kings and queens of England until, in 1837, Queen Victoria decided to 'up sticks' and move across the road to Buckingham Palace.
Much of the Palace's original red-brick building survives and the great Tudor Gatehouse, at the southern end of St. James's Street, still bears Henry VIII's royal cypher HR, surmounted by his crown.
The king's favour
It was, however, Charles II (1630 - 1685) who must be credited with the first development of St James's when, in the 1660s, he gave the right to develop part of Green Park and St James's Park to Henry Jermyn, the 1st Earl of St Albans.
Jermyn used the land to build grand boulevards of equally grand town houses centred on St James's Square for, what became, a thriving residential community of aristocrats and the very well to do.
The patronage that King Charles and subsequent 'royals' bestowed on the area also saw England's finest purveyors of goods setting up shop in St James's - particularly gentleman's ware and wine sellers.
The memorial to The Queen Mother, who died in 2002, aged 101 shows her at 51 years and incorporates the existing bronze statue of her husband, King George VI. Greywolf © The Royal Park.
Stores of distinction
Many of the original stores - and others that arrived during the 17th and 18th Centuries - remain to this day and welcome those who merely wish to browse.
Lock & Co andSt James's Street
Located in St James's Street, and held by many as 'the best hatters in the world', has been making fine English hats since 1676
Berry and Rudd
Vintners Berry and Rudd, which first opened in 1698, and is still under the guidance of a Mr. Berry, has a weighing book with entries from the likes of Lord Byron and Beau Brummel.
Paxton and Whitfield
Paxton and Whitfield that has been selling cheese from the same store in Jermyn Street since 1797.
Others include D R Harris (chemists and perfumes), which was first established in 1790 and gentleman's hairdressers Truefitt and Hill, which has been cutting hair since 1805.
Strolling around
Strolling around St James's I was also enthralled by the many historic shop fronts of Bates gentlemans hatter(1898), Crockett and Jones shoes (1879) and Turnbull & Asser, which has been selling handmade clothing for gentlemen since 1885.
Even those of you, like me, who get anything but excited at the thought of window-shopping, will enjoy doing so in St James's.
Fortnum and Mason
A finally there is the flagship store of Fortnum & Mason, which was founded on its site on Duke Street in 1707 by William Fortnum and Hugh Mason.
This stunning store is known worldwide as purveyors of fine foods, hampers, teas and wine. It has five restaurants, a wine bar and an ice cream parlour.
St James's Park
The 'green lung' of St James's Park is the oldest of London's Royal Parks.
The park was once a marshy water meadow until, in 1532, Henry VIII acquired the site as yet another of his deer parks and built the Palace of St James's.
When Elizabeth I came to the throne she indulged her love of pageantry and pomp, and fetes of all kinds were held in the park.
Her successor, James I, improved the drainage and controlled the water supply.
A road was created in front of St James's Palace, approximately where the Mall is today, but it was Charles II who made dramatic changes.
He oversaw the redesign of the park, with avenues of trees planted and lawns laid.
The King also opened the park to the public and was a frequent visitor, feeding the ducks and mingling with his subjects.
The park was transformed again in 1837 when John Nash redesigned the more romantic style enjoyed today.
A canal was transformed into a natural-looking lake and water birds were introduced by the Ornithological Society of London.
The birds in the park
The park lake and it surrounds remains a haven for several species of duck, particularly mallard and tufted, as well as swan, geese, coot and moorhen. A flock of pelicans also live here as do many other species of birds.
This provides year round entertainment for those who come to feed the birds - and the squirrels – but be warned
Feeding ducks bread is notoriously bad for them and has no nutritional value.
Give bird-seed, duck pellets, or whole wheat.
A place to stay: the Stafford London
By Ann Mealor
The Stafford London, St. James's Place enjoys a history and ambience that suits its location perfectly.
The property was originally built as private residences in the 17th Century, with one owned by Lord and Lady Lyttelton, daughter of the then Earl Spencer, was pressed into service as nanny to Queen Victoria's children.
It became a hotel in 1912, and enjoys a serene setting and just steps from the bustle of St James's.
A hidden gem
Tucked away in St James, London behind The Ritz is The Stafford, a hidden gem of a boutique hotel.
Refined yet homely, elegant yet comfortable, traditional yet modern, The Stafford is a place to relax and unwind, an oasis in the heart of a hectic city.
After a busy morning shopping or taking in the sights of London, it is a pleasure to take a break and sink in to on one of the comfy sofas in the luxurious lounge.
Coffee and home-made biscuits can be enjoyed in front of the roaring fire whilst admiring the quintessentially English decor, the modern artworks and the eclectic mix of curios that are on display.
The American Bar
From early evening onwards The Stafford's cosy American Bar is packed to the rafters and buzzing with guests and local city folk.
With its green leather bar stools and sofas, comfortable chairs, wood panelling, picture covered walls and sweeping marble and brass bar, it has the feel of a gentleman's club.
It also enjoys a quirky American touch- the ceiling is covered with USA baseball caps, pennants, ties and even model aircraft.
A stay at The Stafford
Our stay at The Stafford started with a welcome and efficient check-in by the friendly and professional staff.
We were then shown to our room, a suite, which overlooked the quaint, cobbled courtyard.
Large, comfortable and very well furnished it had a cream marbled hallway, a spacious, chic lounge and a large bedroom with a super soft kingsize bed.
The large marble bathroom equipped with ample, deliciously scented Floris toiletries.
A place to relax
Thelounge was ideal for working and relaxing in, with itslarge sofa, two armchairs, work station, TV and espresso coffee machine.
Interesting modern artworks decorated the walls and a selection of current magazines lay waiting to be read on the coffee table.
The Lyttleton Restaurant
The Lyttleton Restaurant, which is The Stafford's fine dining restaurant, certainly lives up to the hotel's high standards.
We started our dining experience with signature cocktails in the American Bar.
Served in the old style, wide brimmed, champagne glasses I enjoyed a gin based White Mouse and a Marmelade vodka based Spitfire.
Both were topped with champagne and had real bite!We also tucked in to the olives, crisps and savouries that came with them.
Stylish and elegant
We were then shown to our table in the Lyttleton dining room, stylish and elegant with crisp white table cloths, napkins and silver cutlery glinting in the candlelight.
After enjoying a selection of warm bread rolls we were presented with a parsnip mousse Amuse Bouche from the Chef.
It was a dainty morsel of deliciousness.
Next came our starters of choice; two small steaks of Cured Loch Duart salmon with roasted apple, creme fraiche and pickled mustard seeds.
The salmon was melt in the mouth tender and the flavour complimented by the sweet apple.
Succlent dishes
For mains I chose the pork, two succulent pieces of succulent pork fillets with a wild mushroom fricassee and pea puree.
It was beautifully presented with the green puree really adding colour and complimenting the texture of the pork.
Ashley chose the South Coast monkfish fillet with grapefruit and pickled Sussex river mussels.
The sharp, citrus tang worked very well with the meaty fish.
The chips were delicious- hot and crispy on the outside and fluffy inside.
We each complimented our meal with a glass of Chablis.
With room for dessert, and it being the Festive Season, Ashley chose the Christmas pudding, full of nuts spice and fruit and served with orange ice cream.
I went for the architectural sounding reconstructed lemon meringue pie. Cubes of lemon marshmallow were interspersed with lemon curd, crisp shortbread discs and tiny whirls of meringue.
Delicious coffee and petit fours followed in the lounge.
Breakfast at the Stafford
The next morning, breakfast was equally delicious.
My full English with fried eggs, bacon, sausage, mushroom and tomato was perfectly cooked as was Ashley's smoked haddock and poached eggs.
There was also a delicious mix of fresh fruit, cheese, cereal, yoghurts and cold meats on the breakfast buffet.
Afternoon teas are a speciality at The Stafford and dining alfresco is available in the courtyard.
While in the area
St James's Square
St James's Square, laid out in the 1670s, was one of London's earliest squares.
It was lined by exclusive houses for those people whose business made it essential to live near St James's Palace.
For 50 years St James's Square was the most fashionable address in London, with seven dukes and seven earls in residence by the 1720s.
Many of the buildings seen now date from the 18th and 19th centuries and have had many famous residents.
During World War II both Generals Eisenhower and de Gaulle had headquarters here.
No private houses now survive on the square. No.10 on the north side is Chatham House, dating from 1736, home of the Royal Institute for International Affairs.
In the north-west corner is the London Library, dating from 1896, a private lending library founded by the historian Thomas Carlyle and others in 1841 in disgust at the inefficiency of the British Library.
The private gardens in the middle of St James's Square are dominated by an imposing statue of William III astride a horse, which was erected in 1808.
St James's Church
St James's Church is a Christopher Wren designconsecrated in 1684, which was bombed during the Blitz of 1940 and rebuilt shortly afterwards.
A small market in the church courtyard offers an eclectic range of food, arts, crafts, antiques, collectables, complementary therapy goods, cosmetics and clothing from around the world .
Clarence House
The home of the Queen Mother from 1953 to 2002, a tour of Clarence House is an excellent way of appreciating the history of the British Royal Family.
It is now the official London residence of The Prince of Wales, and is only to the public during August and September.
www.royalcollection.org.uk/visit/clarence-house
Graspan Royal Marines memorial
Erected in memory of Royal Marines who died in the Boxer Rebellion Campaign in China and the Boer War in southern Africa.
In 2000 it became the Royal Marines National Memorial.
The facts
.
..
Enter your text here ...
...
...
...
...