Down an unmarked alleyway off St James’s Street sits Pickering Place, England’s smallest public square, a Grade II listed Georgian courtyard with a history of duels, gambling dens and one particularly loyal wine merchant.
Don’t let the size fool you though, this quaint spot has seen more than its fair share of bad behaviour over the years.
It’s a little-known fact that Mayfair’s well-to-do reputation hides a rather raucous history. Named after the May Fair, which was banned in the 18th century when it became a byword for scandal and bad behaviour, there are still pockets of that naughty past if you know where to look.
Enter Pickering Place.
We’d heard about London’s smallest square but it wasn’t until this weekend that we finally got a chance to explore it ourselves.
Away from the grand Tudor facade of St James’s Palace, we poked around the bottom of St James’s Street until we found what we were looking for, a narrow arched alleyway, with dark wainscoting and the words Pickering Place in small gold letters. To make your life a bit easier, it’s next to Berry Bros & Rudd Ltd, famed as the city’s oldest wine merchants.
History of Pickering Place
The square takes its name from William Pickering, a coffee merchant who married into the family running the grocery and coffee shop at No.3 St James’s Street, the business that would eventually become Berry Bros & Rudd. Pickering redeveloped the site, then known as Stroud’s Court, into Pickering Court in the 1730s, though he died in 1734, just before the work was finished. It was renamed Pickering Place in 1810.
Like the shop itself, much of the original Georgian architecture and detailing has remained in place.
Interesting as that is, it’s really when you start to look at the history of Pickering Place that things start to get juicy. It wasn’t long until its secluded location saw it starting to be used for much less savoury activities. Bear baiting, gambling, even duelling were not uncommon sights on the square.
Scandal and shady dealings on the square
Pickering Place gained a rather shady reputation as a duelling spot, a dangerous enough task at any time but almost certainly fatal in the small confines of the square. The most famous duel was that in which Beau Brummell, an unashamed dandy, inventor of the cravat and close friend of King George IV, fought here, although like many London legends, there are questions about whether the duel took place at all. Brummell has his own memorial nearby too, a sculpture in Piccadilly Arcade.
You may notice that the entrance to the square bears a small plaque commemorating the Republic of Texas. It was the British diplomatic base for the republic and home to its legation, similar to an embassy, but smaller, in the 18th century before it joined the United States in 1845.
That’s not the end of Pickering Place’s claim to fame either. The esteemed author Graham Greene lived here, going so far as to base his character Colonel Daintry from The Human Factor in a flat here as well. Lord Palmerston, a former Prime Minister, also lived here at one time too.
Pickering Place today
These days, it’s Grade II listed, in no small part down to the quaint railings, well-preserved buildings and still functioning gas lamps that transport you into the realm of centuries past the moment you step into the courtyard.
Beneath the square, Berry Bros & Rudd still run the Pickering Cellar, home to their Wine School, where tutored tastings run throughout the week, a genuinely current reason to linger rather than just glance in and leave.
The London x London Take: This is the kind of spot that rewards knowing it’s there rather than stumbling across it, most people walk past the alleyway entrance a hundred times without noticing it. Pair it with a browse of Berry Bros & Rudd itself, then carry on to St James’s Palace or down towards Piccadilly to see Brummell’s other memorial. Worth five minutes even if history isn’t usually your thing, worth a proper stop if it is.
Need to Know
Address: St James’s Street, London SW1A 1EG (the alleyway entrance sits beside Berry Bros & Rudd)
