St James’s Square is the only square in the district of St James’s.
In 1662 Charles II extended Henry Jermyn’s (the Earl of St Albans) lease over the 45 acres of Pall Mall Field to 1720.
Jermyn began to lay out the property for development. In 1665 the king granted the freehold of the site of St. James’s Square and some closely adjacent parts of the field to the earl’s trustees.
Houses on the east, north and west sides of the square were soon developed, each of them being constructed separately as was usual at that time. By the 1720s seven dukes and seven earls were in residence.
Some of the houses had interiors by leading architects such as Matthew Brettingham, Robert Adam and John Soane.
In the 1830s, gentleman’s clubs began to be built and the aristocracy started to move to Belgravia. In 1857 the square contained two government offices, a bank, two lodging-houses, an insurance society, the London Library and three clubs.
The Libyan embassy in St James’s Square was the site of the 1984 Libyan Embassy Siege.
St James’s Square has a garden in the centre featuring an equestrian statue of William III erected in 1808.
