St. James

Tucked between Green Park and the grand façades of Pall Mall, St James’s in 1893 remains one of London’s most refined and exclusive quarters. Though smaller in scale than the neighbouring sprawl of Westminster, its influence far outweighs its footprint. This is where the Empire dons its evening gloves.

Established as a courtly district in the 17th century, St James’s developed around St James’s Palace, still a royal residence in 1893. The streets surrounding it—especially St James’s Street, Pall Mall, and Jermyn Street—form the very heart of aristocratic and political London. Townhouses, many in red brick and white stone, some dating back to the era of Sir Christopher Wren, stand shoulder to shoulder like discreet gentlemen, their windows shuttered against the prying eye.

Here, gentlemen’s clubs rule the social world. The Reform Club, the Athenaeum, White’s, and Boodle’s are not merely places for cigars and port—they are engines of diplomacy, speculation, and influence. Entry is by lineage, election, or reputation, and conversation within is as much currency as coin. One may hear debates on foreign policy over roast pheasant, or settle a matter of honour with a glance and a nod.

Jermyn Street, meanwhile, is the domain of the well-dressed man. Shirtmakers, perfumers, and tobacconists serve an elite clientele, many of whom reside in the elegant houses above. The air smells faintly of starched linen, Russian leather, and aged brandy.

Despite its decorum, St James’s is not without its shadows. Whispers of blackmail, discreet affairs, and occult fascinations sometimes slip through its velvet drapes.

St James’s in 1893 is not a place for the masses—it is where London’s old blood meets new power, where fortunes are discussed, not displayed, and where every polished bootstep might echo the fall of a government, or the rise of a scandal.