St. James, City of Westminster, England
Pall Mall
St. James's Palace
Situated on Marlborough Road, just north of St. James's Park, St. James's Palace is one of London's oldest palaces. No sovereign has resided there for almost two centuries, but it has remained the official residence of the Sovereign and the most senior royal palace in the UK.
The apparition of a “small man with his throat cut” is reputed to haunt the Palace. It is believed that it is a valet named Sellis, who seduced the daughter of the Duke of Cumberland and then tried to kill the Duke himself. However, his attempt failed and Sellis committed suicide rather than face the prospect of swift retribution that would have surely followed.
The Palace is also the scene of one of the most popular return as evidence of the afterlife pacts in the annals of psychical research. This took place between two French female friends of King Charles II. When one died, the spirit returned to the surviving woman as evidence of an afterlife.
Pictured left is a view of St. James's Palace courtesy of Tony Hisgett.
Marlborough Road,
City of Westminster,
London,
SW1A 1BS.
For further information, please read Haunted Britain by Antony D. Hippisley Coxe.
Location
Visitor Information
St. James's is a central district in the City of Westminster, London, forming part of the West End.
In the 17th century the area developed as a residential location for the British aristocracy and around the 19th century was the focus of the development of gentlemen's clubs.
Pictured left is Pall Mall courtesy of Panhard. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
