An Insider’s Tour of St. James's, London

The three-hour adventure steps away from the standard tourist path and provide hotel guests special entry into some of London's most historical establishments – an intimate and ultimate access tour of the unseen side and best kept secrets of London. The first of an ongoing series of tours will commence Thursday November 27, 2014.

St James's is defined by its four corners, Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace and Green Park. It is an area that grew to become the right hand of Royalty and has provided luxury goods and services since the 1600's. This has left the environs of The Stafford London a rich legacy; St James's has the highest concentration of listed buildings in England and Frank takes hotel guests and their imaginations inside.

The walk begins at St. James's Place, to the right of The Stafford London, once the private residence of Lord and Lady Lyttelton. The hotel's neighbors include Spencer House, the city's only private palace to survive intact. Originally built as the London residence for the 1st Earl Spencer (Princess Diana's forebear,) it is now owned by Lord Rothschild. Frank, the keeper of the keys, will take guests in to visit the ground floor, when possible. Other famous neighbors included Sir Winston Churchill who lived at St. James Place until he went off to boarding school as did Sir Francis Chichester. And Frederic Chopin lived at number 9 St. James Place while in London for his last public appearance at Guildhall. More contemporary residents include Rupert Murdoch, Sir John Paul Getty and the Barclay family.

The tour travels through a passageway to Green Park, so called because it is the only park in London devoid of flower beds except for the seas of daffodils in early spring. Then it is on to Queen's Walk, and to the most prestigious neighbor, Buckingham Palace before stopping at St. James Palace. The tour continues past Clarence House, residence of Charles Prince of Wales and Camilla Duchess of Cornwall, past, Queen Alexandra's memorial, onto Queen's Chapel to Friary Court. The walking tour makes its way to Pall Mall, named after a 17th century mallet and ball game similar to croquet. Then it is off to Clubland, THE area of London for Gentlemen's Clubs such as the exclusive Whites, Boodles and Brooks. The tour then continues to St. James's Street with a visit to the oldest hat shop in the world, the smallest public square and Christie's Auction House.

Afterwards, Frank takes his guests down Duke Street, famous for fine art galleries, coin dealers and antique bookshops. Next is a stop at The London Library, which houses a collection of more than one million volumes and 2,000 subjects. The tour stops at Red Lion, a spectacular example of a Victorian Pub interior then on to St. James's Church and fashionable Jermyn Street. The tour concludes in the courtyard of former stables, originally built in 1741-2, now the beautifully restored The Carriage House rooms and suites of The Stafford London.

Maximum Attendance: Intimate groups up to 14
Duration: Three hours
Price: 35.00 GPB per person

Visit website: https://www.thestaffordlondon.com/

Photo: Frank Laino in Pickering Place – The Smallest Public Square in London