St. James' Court, A Taj Hotel
/ About
Major Charles Pawley bought this corner of Westminster in 1897 and put up eight red-brick townhouses around a courtyard nobody passing on Buckingham Gate can see. The porches are glazed sea-green; a carved frieze of scenes from Shakespeare runs the whole way round the quadrangle, and a cherub-covered Victorian fountain sits at the centre of it. Five of those houses (the Almoners, Dukes, Regents, Queens and Priors) are St. James' Court; the other three are Taj 51 Buckingham Gate next door. Indian Hotels Company bought the hotel in 1982 and restored its original name in 2014.
The event floor was rebuilt in 2026 and now runs off a restored Ballroom under a domed trellised ceiling, seating 120 at banquet rounds or 230 standing, with its own foyer of arched windows and crystal chandeliers. Around it on the first floor sit Windsor, Balmoral, Clarence, Buckingham and Tudor, each a dining room in its own right, two of them with a separate lounge attached. A further run of smaller rooms occupies the ground floor. The whole meetings and events operation for both Taj hotels is run from here.
The courtyard is the room that decides most bookings. It holds 200 for a reception, entirely open to the sky, with the fountain lit and the frieze above it, and Buckingham Palace is a five-minute walk away through St James's Park. Quilon, which holds a MICHELIN star for the cooking of India's Malabar coast, and House of Ming both open off the same enclave.
/ Rooms Available
The Ballroom
PrivateThe hotel's largest room and the centrepiece of the 2026 event-floor rebuild. A coffered barrel-vaulted ceiling runs the length of it, hung with chandeliers, over 190 square metres of panelled wall. It takes 140 at banquet rounds or 230 standing, and opens off its own foyer.
TH@51 Courtyard
Exclusive HireThe hidden quadrangle the eight townhouses were built around, open to the sky and invisible from Buckingham Gate. A cherub-adorned Victorian fountain sits at the centre, sea-green faience glazes the porches, and a carved frieze of scenes from Shakespeare runs the full circuit above. It holds 200 for a reception.
Windsor
PrivateSixty square metres on the first floor, next to the Ballroom, panelled and carpeted with its own approach. Seats 24 or holds 40 standing.
Balmoral
PrivateA first-floor room of 39.8 square metres, lit by a tall arched window, taking two round tables for 20 seated or 48 standing.
Buckingham
PrivateA first-floor dining room of 29.2 square metres with a separate lounge of 30.4 square metres attached, so a party can drink in one room and sit down in the other. Twenty either way.
George
PrivateThe largest of the ground-floor rooms at 44 square metres, taking 16 around a boardroom table or 30 standing.
Henry
PrivateA ground-floor room of 43.8 square metres for 14 seated or 30 standing.
The Terrace
Semi PrivateAn open-air terrace off the first floor, taking 30 for a standing reception.
Charles
PrivateA ground-floor room of 40 square metres, seating 15 or holding 20 standing.
Clarence
PrivateThirty-five square metres on the first floor, walls panelled in terracotta, seating 20 at two round tables.
Richard
PrivateTwenty-four square metres on the ground floor, for 12 seated or 20 standing.
William
PrivateA ground-floor room of 28.8 square metres, seating 12 or holding 20 standing.
Elizabeth
PrivateA ground-floor boardroom of 44.2 square metres seating 16 around one table.
Tudor
PrivateA first-floor room of 34.3 square metres with its own lounge of 41.4 square metres alongside, larger than the room itself. Fourteen seated or standing.
Anne
PrivateThe smallest of the ground-floor dining rooms at 21.1 square metres, for eight seated or 12 standing.
Victoria
PrivateA boardroom of 19.7 square metres on the ground floor, seating seven.
Edward
PrivateA ground-floor meeting room of 13.6 square metres, seating four.
Mary
PrivateA ground-floor meeting room of 13 square metres, seating four.
/ Perfect For
/ Features
AV Equipment
- – Projector
- – PA System
Catering
- – In-House Luxury Dining
Venue Specs
- – Dedicated Events Team
- – Air Conditioned
- – Wi-Fi
- – Outdoor Terrace
/ Getting Here
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