St James's Palace
Marlborough Road, St James's, London SW1A 1BS
Description:
One of the oldest palaces in London - St. James's is located near the Park Pall Mall. In the Middle Ages, this place was the hospital of St. James for people with leprosy.
The palace is a deliberately modest building of red brick. At one time it was considered the second capital residence of Henry VIII. In the crypt of St. James's Palace are kept the insides of Mary Tudor, Henry's mother.
St James's Palace has been the main residence of royal courtiers since 1698, before that they lived in Whitehall. Representatives of the Royal Court were constantly unhappy with the dilapidated housing and poor living conditions. The royal family preferred to live in Kensington Palace.
After the fire of 1809, only the main tower survived, which is a good example of Tudor architecture.
Near St. James's Palace is a fascinating spectacle - the changing of the guard, which always gathers a large number of spectators.