About St James’s
St James’s is defined as much by its four geographical corners (Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus, Green Park and Buckingham Palace) as it is by its rich retail heritage - it’s the historical home of British menswear, and the location of both the city’s oldest cheesemongers, Paxton & Whitfield and its oldest wine and spirits merchants, Berry Bros & Rudd.
That heritage continues today. The streets of St James's are dotted with numerous designer shops and independent boutiques, fine-dining restaurants and grand hotels, many of which double up as brilliant event spaces.
With its proximity to Buckingham Palace, it’s no surprise that St James’s is home to the highest concentration of Royal Warrant Holders (the King’s official stamp of approval for goods and services) in London.
Major transport links can be found at the aforementioned corners, with Green Park, Piccadilly, and Charing Cross stations all five minutes’ walk or less, as well as easy links on the tube to major airports and international rail stations.
Things to do in St James’s
Stage your event in historic splendour and benefit from proximity to high-end shops and restaurants in St James’s.
Event venues
There’s no end of illustrious venues for your event in St James’s, from five-star establishments to buildings with a heritage that stretches back hundreds of years.
The Royal Society
The Royal Society, the UK’s nearly four century old scientific academy, can host anywhere from 10 to 500 guests across the 12 rooms it has available for hire. With AV equipment in every room and on-site technical support, it also has a fine dining catering partner to cater events.
BAFTA
For events with a truly red-carpet experience, 195 Piccadilly is home to the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA). A world-renowned cultural institution, BAFTA offers many spaces for private hire for up to 300 guests, including a screen room, a rooftop terrace and two galleries.
Carlton House Terrace
Home to the British Academy, a leading research institution for humanities and social sciences, Carlton House Terrace is a stunning Grade I-listed Georgian building. It offers 10 rooms for private hire for up to 498 and its location overlooking St James’s Park and its proximity to Buckingham Palace give it a royal feel.
The London Library
Located in a quieter part of the neighbourhood overlooking St James’s square and near Piccadilly and Pall Mall, the London Library can be hired for evening events of up to 200 guests. The library houses more than 1 million books across seven connected buildings and has been host to the likes of Nobel Prize winners and Poet Laureates.
Palace of Westminster
One of the most iconic landmarks in London, the Palace of Westminster (commonly known as the Houses of Parliament) is a showstopper of a venue available for hire for up to 200 guests. There are spaces for hire in both the House of Commons and the House of Lords.
Experiences
Soak up St James’s history on a stroll, discover art that spans centuries and disciplines or treat yourself to a day of shopping.
Sightseeing
Thanks to its proximity to so many landmarks, a stroll around the borders of St James’s is an action-packed activity in itself, with Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square and Buckingham Palace all in the vicinity, as well as the Royal parks of St James’s and Green Park.
Theatre
There are several fine theatres in St James’s, including the Theatre Royal Haymarket, His Majesty's Theatre and Jermyn Street Theatre, which between them put on everything from large-scale musicals to more intimate productions.
Berry Bros and Rudd
Berry Bros and Rudd has been selling fine wines and spirits for hundreds of years. But it’s only in the last couple of decades that it's opened its marvellous cellars to the public. Today, it hosts bespoke tasting events, lunches and dinners in those cellars, which could make for an interesting incentive activity.
Shopping
Don’t miss the chance to shop (or at least window shop) in this retail heartland, especially if you’re in the market for high-end men’s fashion.
The world-famous upmarket department store Fortnum & Mason is also in the vicinity.
If you’re lucky enough to be in town during London Fashion Week Men’s every June, you can experience the open-air catwalk of menswear brands on Jermyn Street.
Restaurants
Many eminent diners have graced, and continue to grace, the restaurants in St James’s. Join them by booking a table at one of the following establishments.
The Wolseley
This illustrious all-day cafe and restaurant is open from 7am to 11.30pm, and is famed for its spectacular interior, exquisite food and superior service. It also has some lovely private dining rooms available to hire.
Franco’s
Franco’s, an 80-year-old Italian restaurant and bar on Jermyn Street, offers casual dining amid elegant interiors - the perfect spot for a friendly business lunch or dinner.
Quaglino’s
Quaglino’s on Bury Street is a real St James’s institution. Founded by Giovanni Quaglino nearly a century ago, the restaurant has been a haunt of both actual royalty and the Hollywood and literary kind. It serves modern European cuisine and cocktails and often has live music and dancing late into the night.
Wild Honey
If you want to really impress guests, secure a table at Michelin-starred Wild Honey. Opened by chef Anthony Demetre in 2019, the restaurant combines classic French cooking with the best British produce.
St James’s Market
If you’re struggling to decide where to eat, head to St James’s Market, which is home to cuisine from across the world.
Hotels
As you’d expect, St James’s is home to some of the finest hotels in London, guaranteeing your event attendees a comfortable and luxurious stay.
St James’ Court, A Taj Hotel
This 329-room hotel is ideally located moments away from Buckingham Palace and St James’ Park. The central courtyard of the grand, Victorian building is picture perfect with its Shakespearean frieze along the walls. It offers 12 spaces with a maximum capacity of 200 guests.
The Rubens at the Palace
The Rubens at the Palace overlooks the royal residence and, within its five-star surroundings, has more than 160 luxury rooms and suites, as well as a bar and several upscale dining options.
The Sofitel London St James
The Sofitel London St James has many elegant rooms that blend French elegance with bold pop art touches, as well as a Michelin Star restaurant and an award-winning spa.
The Dilly London
With 280 rooms and views to Piccadilly Circus, The Dilly London is in an ideal location to enjoy some of the best landmarks, nightlife and entertainment in the city. The hotel has seven meeting rooms and larger spaces for events of up to 200 guests.
How to get to St James’s
St James’s is very well connected to the Tube, rail and bus networks.
By Tube
You can walk to St James’s in just a few minutes from Green Park (Victoria, Jubilee, Piccadilly), Piccadilly Circus (Piccadilly and Bakerloo), and Charing Cross (Bakerloo and Northern).
By rail
Charing Cross, London’s most central station, is served by numerous mainline routes, especially from the southeast. You can also arrive at the Waterloo or Victoria train stations and get to St James’s in less than 10 minutes on the Tube.
By bus
St James’s Street Station and Regent Street are both on several major bus routes.
Travel times to and from St James’s
London underground
Heathrow: 1 hour on Piccadilly line to Green Park (direct).
London Stansted Airport: 1 hour 10 minutes (one change).
London Gatwick Airport: 55 minutes (one change).
City of London: 25 minutes (one change).
Canary Wharf: 20 minutes (direct).
St Pancras International: 17 minutes.
You can find more information about how to get around London as a business traveller in our business travel in London guide.
How we can help
As London’s official convention bureau, we help event professionals, meeting organisers and incentive planners unlock the city and create events to remember.
We can help you by providing:
- Free assistance: as a not-for-profit company, we don't charge for our services. Our experts share their entire wealth of knowledge and contacts with you for free.
- Impartial advice: we are independent and know London inside out. Our experts can help you discover venues, event agencies, unique experiences and activities for your event.
- Expert knowledge: we've supported thousands of delegates and helped them build world-class events. We've supported international congresses, conventions and conference teams to deliver inspiring events at scale.
