St James’s Park Office Space

St James’s Park and office space aren’t two things one would automatically pair together. Indeed, the real estate would likely be palatial as the City of Westminster parkland is bordered by three royal palaces – Buckingham, St James’s and the site of King Henry VIII’s Palace of Whitehall.

The monarch purchased the land from Eton College in the 16th century as part of the development of his palace. He enclosed the parkland for deer hunting and built St James Palace to initially serve as his hunting lodge. That palace was named after the medieval leper hospital that had previously stood there.

The park today represents the southernmost part of the broader St James’s district in London’s West End, which is also named for the hospital.

When James I came to power in 1603, he ordered the park to be landscaped and that exotic animals, including camels, crocodiles, and elephants, be kept there.

He also created a large aviary for exotic birds, after which Birdcage Walk is named. The Russian ambassador presented pelicans to his successor, King Charles II, in 1664, and their descendants can be seen in St James’s Park today.

It is described as the most royal of the eight Royal Parks and is featured on many state occasions due to its proximity to Admiralty Arch, Horse Guards Road, and The Mall.

At its western flank sits the United Kingdom’s most royal institution, Buckingham Palace.

Some of the best office space near St James’s Park is situated on Buckingham Gate, which runs from its junction with Birdcage Walk south into Westminster.

The road offers mixed-use amenities that combine retail and leisure spaces with premium office buildings.

Some of the buildings have standby generators on every floor, ensuring that critical communications can always be facilitated without a hitch. Many are BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rated, with features such as bike racks and EV charging points to encourage more sustainable travel to and from the buildings.

Several offer expansive state-of-the-art floor plates, enabling tenants to create bespoke spaces to meet their varied business needs.

The office space at Buckingham Gate and in other locations near St. James’s Park can be rented via conventional leases. There is also an increasing number of flexible workspace solutions available, such as managed office space and serviced private offices.

Premium managed offices near St James’s Park are ready-fitted. However, the tenant leads the fitting-out and furnishing process, with the assistance of the managed office landlord or provider’s teams, to customise the space and create a brand identity.

Bespoke offices can offer private reception areas, meeting rooms, private office suites, open-plan hot-desking zones, kitchens, bathrooms and shower facilities. The client can also design their tailored service level package.

These service packages can incorporate technical support, hospitality and business support services.

Premium serviced offices are fully furnished, fitted, and equipped with state-of-the-art business technologies. These are private, plug-and-play workspaces, and clients enjoy access to first-class amenities, including fully stocked kitchens, bookable meeting rooms, breakout areas, casual working spaces, fitness and wellness facilities, cafes, and outdoor spaces.

In contrast to rented offices in St James’s Park, flexible workspaces are occupied via short-term licences yet offer the option to extend at the end of the term. The flexible contacts also enable a business to expand within a building as needed. Many buildings offer self-contained suites and floors that can accommodate 250 desks or more.

Conversely, occupiers have the flexibility to downsize into a smaller space as their business needs change.

The added advantage of flexible offices is that they are priced all-inclusively, meaning that the one monthly fee encompasses office rental, utilities, security, reception services, cleaning, enterprise-grade and secure IT systems, and other overheads that would be paid for separately if leasing office space conventionally.

The prime office buildings near St James’s Park, which offer managed and serviced offices, are run sustainably and ESG-conscious. This means they provide the aforementioned end-of-journey facilities such as bicycle spaces, showers, lockers, changing facilities, and EV chargers for self-powered commuters.

However, tenants near St James’s Park also enjoy excellent public transport links. The closest stations are Green Park, St James’s Park, Victoria, and Westminster. Hyde Park Corner Station can also be reached with a short stroll up Constitution Hill.