The Red Lion
23 Crown Passage, London SW1Y 6PP
The Court of St James’s
When Henry acquired York Place, he also purchased 20 acres of land to its west (from a Christian mission to St. James for lepers) and created a private royal hunting park. Here, Henry built a lodge to meet with his favourites and have trysts with admirers. Today, St James’s Park is London’s oldest park and a haven of extensive breeds of wildfowl, along with tame squirrels and parakeets. The lodge has grown into St James’s Palace, and today is the ‘Royal Court of the Monarch of the United Kingdom’. It has seen numerous royal births (Queen Anne losing 17 children at birth or infancy) and christenings – plus hosting Charles I’s last night before his execution. Today, it is the residence of the Prince of Wales.
St James’s Park was enhanced with an 800m long canal by King Charles II (possibly copying the canal at Versailles that he became familiar with during exile in France) and later received an extensive ‘romantic’ makeover by John Nash, the famous Regency architect, in 1820. The park and lake is at the southern end of a sweep of development built under the patronage of the Prince Regent (future King George IV), stretching north up Regent Street to The Regent’s Park.
On the west side of Whitehall is Horse Guards Parade, the ceremonial parade ground and scene of Trooping the Colour on the monarchs official birthday in June. Most days, at 11am (Sunday 10am) and 4pm, one can see the Changing of the King’s Life Guard – a horse-mounted version of the daily ceremony at Buckingham Palace (see below).
At the western end of St James’s Park, the white Portland stone of Buckingham Palace fronts the yellow Bath stone of the original palace to its rear. Queen Victoria instructed the Portland stone extension to accommodate her large family, and in the development also relocated the triumphal Marble Arch (that stood at the front of the palace) to the top of Park Lane. Before Queen Victoria chose to live at Buckingham Palace it was known as The Queen’s House – having originally been purchased by King George III for his Queen Charlotte in 1762. Most days, at 11am, the Changing of the Guard takes place at Buckingham Palace – rotating between the five regiments of the King’s Foot Guard, recognised by the colour of their plumes – Irish (blue), Welsh (green/white), Grenadiers (white), Coldstream (red) and Scots (none).
The dimly lit Red Lion (one of many in London named after the Scottish King James I) is a 400-year-old pub with one of the oldest beer licences in the West End. Its proximity to St James’s Palace qualifies it as the monarch’s local – and was secretly patronised by Charles II and Nell Gwynn, who lived in nearby Pall Mall. To this day, it’s still regarded as a Royalist pub – visit after the annual procession in January (that commemorates the death of Charles I) and you’ll rub shoulders with cavaliers in full dress. Its location in the tunnel-like Crown Passage adds to its appeal.