Among the rejoicing cavaliers who escorted King Charles II on his triumphant return to London in May 1660, none had better prospects for advancement than Henry Jermyn, the newly created Earl of St Albans. Quite apart from his wealth, he had been a courtier to Charles I and had accompanied Charles’s wife, Queen Henrietta Maria, into exile in France during the English Civil War.
He took full advantage of his prominent position when the spoils of the Restoration were shared out. As early as 1661, he obtained from Charles II a lease for the ‘Bailiwick of St James’ followed by something far more valuable: the freehold of the site now occupied by St James’s Square. He could now fulfill his ambition of creating a fashionable suburb with, at its heart, a great residential piazza.
The houses were of red brick and a wooden fence marked the carriage way around the square. Wren’s St James Piccadilly is visible to the north.
Henry Jermyn had been astute: in the 1720s seven dukes and seven earls were in residence. Note the gardens and mews to the rear of most properties.
Initially 23 houses were built on the north, east and west side of the square and the original owners were overwhelmingly aristocratic and male. However, over the years, a number of prominent women have also been associated with the Square in some way or another – this is their story.
The First of Many – No 4 St James’s Square
The current building was built by Edward Shepherd in 1725. It was purchased in 1996 by the Naval and Military Club.
No 4 was originally built in 1676 by Nicholas Barbon.
Did you know?
Nicholas Barbon was the son of a Puritan preacher called Praise-God Barebone, who gave him this very long and strange name: Nicholas If-Jesus-Christ-Had-Not-Died-For-Thee-Thou-Hadst-Been-Damned.
This is an example of a hortatory name, which is a religious slogan that some puritan parents chose, to remind the child about sin and pain.
Nicholas later made a name for himself as an economist and property developer but, for some inexplicable reason, he decided to go by the name Nicholas Barbon.
The house has had many distinguished owners including Nancy Astor (1879 – 1964). Astor was born in Danville, Virginia.
Her first marriage ended in divorce and she moved to England. On her arrival in London she was asked if she had come to “get one of our husbands”. She replied “If you knew the trouble I’ve had getting rid of mine, you’d know I don’t want one of yours.” She married a fellow American with whom she shared a birthday, Waldorf Astor MP, son of the millionaire William Waldorf Astor.
When William Astor succeeded to the House of Lords, she entered politics by winning his former seat of Plymouth Sutton in 1919, becoming the first woman Member of Parliament.
Astor served as an MP until 1945 when she was persuaded to step down because of her antisemitism and sympathetic view of Nazism. She died in 1964 and was interred at her family estate at Cliveden.
One April Day – No 5 St James’s Square
No 5 St James’s Square was built in 1751 by William Wentworth, 2nd Earl of Strafford, to the design of Matthew Brettingham the Elder. It remained in his family until the late 1960s. In 1975, the Libyan People’s Bureau took over the property. Demonstrations often occurred outside the building where people protested about the brutal regime of Colonel Gaddafi.
On 16 April 1984 two students, who were opponents of Colonel Gaddafi, were publicly executed at the University of Tripoli in Libya.
In response, Libyan dissidents staged a demonstration in St James’s Square on 17 April. At 10:18 am, automatic gunfire was discharged from two windows of No 5 in the direction of the demonstration. The shots killed Police Constable Yvonne Fletcher and wounded eleven protestors. Her death resulted in an eleven-day siege of the People’s Bureau, at the end of which those inside were expelled from the country and the United Kingdom severed diplomatic relations with Libya.
In 1984, a cherry tree was planted in the square in memory of Yvonne and, in 1985, a memorial to Yvonne was unveiled by Margaret Thatcher.
The Birth of Computing – No 12 St James’s Square
No 12 was originally built in 1674. It was rebuilt by Thomas Cubitt in 1836 and became the home of William King-Noel, later Earl of Lovelace, who had married Ada in 1835. She died in 1852 aged just 36 years old.
No 12 was the home of Ada Byron, Lady Lovelace, and Lord Byron’s only legitimate daughter.
Her mother encouraged Ada’s interest in mathematics and logic in an effort to prevent her from developing her father’s perceived insanity.
When she was eighteen, her mathematical talents led her to a long working relationship and friendship with fellow British mathematician Charles Babbage, who is known as the father of computers.
She was in particular interested in Babbage’s work on the Analytical Engine. She developed a vision of the capability of computers to go beyond mere number-crunching. Her notes indicate that she considered how individuals and society would relate to technology as a collaborative tool.
Clubland and the Battle of Waterloo – Nos 16 and 17 St James’s Square
The district of St James’s is sometimes referred to as ‘Clubland’ because of the historic presence of gentlemen’s clubs and it is not surprising that St James’s Square has hosted more than its fair share.
Today, No 16 (and the site of former No 17) is occupied by The East India Club, founded in 1849. The club was originally intended for officers of the East India Company. However, in 1858 the British Crown assumed direct control of India and the company was dissolved in 1874. The club is still referred to as the East India Club.
But long before No 16 became a gentleman’s club, it was the site of one of the most famous parties in history. An earlier owner, Edmund Boehm, had an ambitious wife called Dorothy whose social career reached its climax on the evening of 21 June 1815 when none other than the Prince Regent was one of her guests – and what a shock they were all about to receive.
Major Henry Percy was the only one of Wellington’s Aide-de-Camps to survive the Battle of Waterloo unscathed. He was therefore assigned the onerous task of carrying to London the dispatch announcing victory and three French Imperial Eagles captured in the battle to the Prince Regent at No 16 St James’s Square.
Did you know?
He first went to Grosvenor Square where the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for War were dining with Lord Harrowby. Percy then went on to the Boehms’ house at 16 St James’s Square.
For Dorothy Boehm, the evening was meant to be her greatest social triumph, but as the orchestra was about to strike up, guests were suddenly distracted: Percy had arrived with his French eagles. Her carefully planned ball had been momentously upstaged.
Queen Caroline of Brunswick – No 17 St James’s Square
In 1820, No 17 was rented by Queen Caroline, the estranged wife of King George IV. When George became King in 1820, he attempted to divorce Caroline by introducing into Parliament the Bill of Pains and Penalties.
Although Caroline lived in Hammersmith, she thought it was an excellent propaganda ploy to rent No 17 and drive daily through Westminster to her trial in the House of Lords.
She was popular with the British public who sympathised with her and despised the new king for his immoral behaviour. Crowds of her supporters gathered in St James’s Square to cheer whenever the ‘Injured Queen’ appeared.
Some drove wagons into the square and rented space at one shilling per person on these makeshift grandstands to those who wanted a better view. In 1863, No 17 was rebuilt with No 16 to form the larger premises we see today.
A Future Queen – No 20 St James’s Square
Between 1906 and 1920 it was occupied by the 14th Earl of Strathmore and his wife Cecilia. Elizabeth was their youngest daughter and the ninth of ten children.
She later recalled hanging over the bannisters to watch the glamorous arrivals at No 20 and listening to the hired orchestra. When she was allowed outside, she played games round the statue of William III with her brother David.
The future Queen was only 21 when the lease on No 20 came to an end, but she retained fond memories of that happy interlude in her life.
When Lady Elizabeth married Prince Albert in 1923, she became the Duchess of York. On 21 April 1926, the Duchess gave birth to her first child, Princess Elizabeth, the future Queen Elizabeth II.
She went on to become Queen Elizabeth when her husband became King George VI, following the unexpected abdication of his brother, King Edward VIII, in December 1936.
Paul
