Excellent history and a very lucid explanation of the development of St. James district of London. As a member of the O&C Club…just a half minute‘s walk from St. James Palace…I appreciate very much how this magnificent architecture arose from London’s pastoral fields of the Tudor age 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏😊👍👍
Fascinating history. The establishment of "bridgheads", whether economic, religious, or political (when one can quickly become the other) as drivers of urban development, and the consequent spread of habitation is quite q revelation. I wish there were more figure / ground mappings to plot this spread. Thus far, the roads are the most recognizable links to the present.
I thought Mews referred to where the royal falcons were kept (and the sounds they made - do falcons mew?). Horses no doubt were kept there too, and that's how we now know them, including the small streets of coach houses behind the grand rows. Can anyone enlighten me?
So Cromwell practically stole all this area for Henry viii, and the Duke of Westminster owns the rest? Isn’t he now a young guy who is richer than the Queen? Yeah he’s a 30 year old billionaire. Go Hugh!
