26 St James's Place is a
grade II* listed
In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...
block of flats in
St James's Place
St James's Place is a street in the St James's district of London near Green Park. It was first developed around 1694, the historian John Strype describing it in 1720 as a "good Street ... which receiveth a fresh Air out of the Park; the House ...
,
St James's
St James's is a district of Westminster, and a central district in the City of Westminster, London, forming part of the West End of London, West End. The area was once part of the northwestern gardens and parks of St. James's Palace and much of ...
, London W1.
The block of eight flats was built in 1959–60, and designed by
Denys Lasdun
Sir Denys Louis Lasdun, CH, CBE, RA (8 September 1914, Kensington, London – 11 January 2001, Fulham, London) was an eminent English architect, the son of Nathan Lasdun (1879–1920) and Julie (''née'' Abrahams; 1884–1963). Probably his b ...
and Partners, with Alexander Redhouse as the partner in charge, and Graham Lane, Lyall Anderson and Maya Hambly as assistant architects, and
Ove Arup and Partners as the engineers.
It is built with reinforced concrete clad with Baveno grey granite and white vitreous mosaic on the
soffit
A soffit is an exterior architectural feature, generally the horizontal, aloft underside of the roof edge. Its archetypal form, sometimes incorporating or implying the projection of rafters or trusses over the exterior of supporting walls, is t ...
s.
In 1960, it was awarded the RIBA London Architecture Bronze Medal.
It replaced a house built in about 1692, and destroyed by German bombing in World War II.
Notable residents included Sir
John Harpur, and
Lieutenant-General Sir John Cope, who demolished it in 1745 and built a larger house, where he lived until his death in 1760.
Later occupants included
Richard Rigby
Richard Rigby PC (February 1722 – 8 April 1788), was an English civil servant and politician who sat in the British House of Commons for 43 years from 1745 to 1788. He served as Chief Secretary for Ireland and Paymaster of the Forces. Rigby ...
,
Richard Vernon
Richard Evelyn Vernon (7 March 1925 – 4 December 1997) was a British actor. He appeared in many feature films and television programmes, often in aristocratic or supercilious roles. Prematurely balding and greying, Vernon settled into playi ...
,
Robert Smith, 1st Baron Carrington
Robert Smith, 1st Baron Carrington (22 January 1752 – 18 September 1838), was a British banker, slave owner and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1779 to 1797 when he was raised to the peerage.
Early life
Smith was the third so ...
, who extended the house, and
the Dowager Lady Arden.
References
External links
Photo gallery
{{DEFAULTSORT:26 St James's Place
Grade II* listed buildings in the City of Westminster
Grade II* listed houses in London
Houses completed in 1960
Houses in the City of Westminster
St James's Place
Denys Lasdun buildings