UK Travel Guide

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St. James's Palace

The site on which the palace now stands was formerly occupied by St James Leper Hospital for Women. This was demolished by or at the instance of Henry VIII who had the palace built about 1532 as a manor house for his wife Anne Boleyn. St James’s became established as the reigning sovereign’s official residence after Whitehall Palace was destroyed by fire in 1698 and it remained so until Queen Victoria settled in Buckingham Palace on her accession in 1837. Today it is home to the Duke and Duchess of Kent and even Prince Charles has an apartment in the palace. It is also where the Queen receives foreign ambassadors. Not much of the original building remains although the red brick gatehouse dates back to Tudor times; the palace itself having been extensively rebuilt during the reign of other monarchs.

Located at: Pall Mall, London, SW1

Telephone: n/a

Opens: Not open to the public

Cost: n/a

Closest Subway Station: St. James Park Station (Click to see more atrraction at this station)