Early history and pall-mall field Pall Mall was constructed in 1661, replacing an earlier highway slightly to the south that ran from the
Haymarket (approximately where Warwick House Street is now) to the royal residence,
St James's Palace. Historical research suggests a road had been in this location since
Saxon times, although the earliest documentary references are from the 12th century in connection with a
leper colony at St James's Hospital. When
St. James's Park was laid out by order of
Henry VIII in the 16th century, the park's boundary wall was built along the south side of the road. In 1620, the
Privy Council ordered the
High Sheriff of Middlesex to clear a number of temporary buildings next to the wall that were of poor quality.
Pall-mall, a ball game similar to
croquet, was introduced to England in the early 17th century by
James I. The game, already popular in France and Scotland, was enjoyed by James' sons
Henry and
Charles. In 1630, St James's Field, London's first pall-mall court, was laid out to the north of the Haymarket – St James road. After the
Restoration and
King Charles II's return to London on 29 May 1660, another pall-mall court was constructed in St James's Park just south of the wall, on the site of
The Mall. This new court suffered from dust blown over the wall from coaches travelling along the highway. In July 1661 posts and rails were erected, stopping up the old road. The pall-mall field was a popular place for recreation, and Pepys records several other visits. By July 1665 Pepys used "Pell Mell" to refer to the street as well as the game.
17th- and 18th-century buildings , published 1763. This view looks east. The gatehouse of
St James's Palace is on the right. In 1662, Pall Mall was one of several streets "thought fitt immediately to be repaired, new paved or otherwise amended" under the
London and Westminster Streets Act 1662 (
14 Cha. 2. c. 2). The paving commissioners appointed to oversee the work included the
Earl of St Albans. The terms of the act allowed commissioners to remove any building encroaching on the highway, with compensation for those at least 30 years old. The commissioners determined that the
real tennis court and adjoining house at the northeast corner of Pall Mall and St James's Street should be demolished, and in 1664 notified Martha Barker, the owner of the Crown lease, to do so. Although Barker initially rejected £230 compensation, the court was demolished by 1679.
Later history 's
Shakespeare Gallery at 52 Pall Mall was built in 1788 and demolished 1868–1869. It is shown in 1851 after its purchase by the
British Institution. By the 18th century, Pall Mall was well known for its shops as well as its grand houses. The shops included that of the
Vulliamy family who made clocks at No. 68 between 1765 and 1854.
Robert Dodsley ran a bookshop at No. 52, where he suggested the idea of a
dictionary to
Samuel Johnson. Writers and artists began to move to Pall Mall during this century; both
Richard Cosway and
Thomas Gainsborough lived at
Schomberg House at Nos. 80–82. The street was one of the first in London to be
lit by gas after
Frederick Albert Winsor set up experimental lighting on 4 June 1807 to celebrate King
George III's birthday. Permanent lighting was installed in 1820. The eastern end of Pall Mall was widened between 1814 and 1818; a row of houses on its north side was demolished to make way for the Royal Opera Arcade. The freehold of much of the southern side of the Pall Mall is owned by the
Crown Estate. In addition to St James's Palace, Marlborough House, which was once a royal residence, is its neighbour to the east, opening off a courtyard just to the south of the street. It was built for
Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough who laid the foundation stone in 1709, with building complete by 1711. The house reverted to Crown ownership in 1817; the future King
George V was born here in 1865 and briefly lived in the house as Prince of Wales during the reign of his father,
Edward VII. It became government-owned in 1959 and houses now the
Commonwealth Secretariat and the
Commonwealth Foundation. The
Prince Regent's Carlton House was built at the eastern end of Pall Mall in 1732 for
Frederick, Prince of Wales and later inhabited by his widow,
Princess Augusta. A ball was held at the house on 19 June 1811 to celebrate the start of the Prince's regency, but ultimately he did not decide to stay in the house upon ascending the throne, and it was demolished.
John Nash built
Carlton House Terrace on its site between 1827 and 1832. . Pall Mall was the location of the
War Office from 1855 to 1906, with which it became synonymous (just as
Whitehall refers to the administrative centre of the
UK government). The War Office was accommodated in a complex of buildings based on the ducal mansion,
Cumberland House. The office subsequently moved to Whitehall. The street contained two other architecturally important residences. Schomberg House, at Nos. 80–82 Pall Mall was built in 1698 for
Meinhardt Schomberg, 3rd Duke of Schomberg and divided into three parts in 1769. The eastern section of the house was demolished in 1850, but reconstructed in the mid-1950s for office use.
Buckingham House was the London residence of the
Dukes of Buckingham and Chandos. It was rebuilt in the 1790s by Sir
John Soane and sold by the Buckingham estate in 1847. The house was demolished in 1908 to make way for the Royal Automobile Club. By 1902, 7 Pall Mall was occupied by the Electric Lighting Board. A first-floor room was hired to allow viewing of Edward VII's coronation procession, which was cancelled after the king fell ill. This resulted in the legal case
Chandler v Webster, concerned with the treatment of a
frustrated contract. No 77–78 Pall Mall was the home of the
Marquess of Ailesbury from 1840. In 1892, it was inherited by the Marchioness' nephew,
Viscount de Vesci who leased the building to the
Office of Works. In 1902, it was granted to Queen Victoria's daughter,
Princess Helena and her husband Prince Christian as a
grace and favour residence and retained as a home by their daughters,
Princess Helena Victoria and
Princess Marie Louise until 1947. In 1951, the property was divided: No.77 was occupied by the
Oxford and Cambridge University Club, and no.78 by the
Eagle Star Insurance Company. air-raid, February 1944 The
Institute of Directors was founded in 1903 and received a
royal charter in 1906. The former branch of the
Midland Bank at Nos. 69–70 Pall Mall was designed by
Edwin Lutyens and constructed between 1922 and 1927. The original plan to redevelop No. 70 proved impractical so the two premises were demolished to provide a site for the current premises. The cigarette manufacturer
Rothmans has its head office at No. 65 Pall Mall, in a building designed by
Norman Shaw, while
P&O Ferries' main administrative office is at No. 79. ==Cultural references==