Leading between Birdcage Walk and Old Queen Street is the small passageway of Cockpit Steps, named after its rather sinister connection to the age old pastime of cock fighting. The steps themselves are actually the last remaining parts of the old Royal Cockpit, a venue built in the 18th century for the upper classes to watch and wager on cock fights.

The Spectator is a weekly British news magazine focusing on politics, culture, and current affairs.^[1] It was first published in July 1828,^[2] making it the oldest surviving weekly magazine in the world.^[3] The Spectator is politically conservative, and its principal subject areas are politics and culture.

Now, the regular lbtc….

AFTER BUCKINGHAM PALACE AND QUEEN VICTORIA MEMORIAL, THE ROUTE continuES ALONGSIDE THE MALL

The processional way…

Who  is GIV?. King George IV

Now, you are looking at the huge lampposts alongside The Mall… have you ever noticed the ships that sit on top of the lamp posts? They were designed by Sir Thomas Brock and are said to represent each of Nelson's ships at Trafalgar, though this doesn't seem to be a theory backed up with any hard evidence.

A few years ago, soldiers mounted guard outside. Now, you can see them, beside their sentry boxes, inside the precinct, for security reasons. Detachments of the NEW GUARD (entering it)  and OLD GUARD (exiting it)  go through it. And members of the royal family…

Designed by Inigo Jones, it was built between 1623 and 1625 as an adjunct to St. James's Palace, initially as a Catholic chapel for the Infanta Maria Anna of Spain,  Holy Roman Empress (who was considered as a possible wife of the future CHARLES I) and then for Queen Henrietta Maria of England. It is one of the facilities of the British monarch's household religious establishment, the Chapel Royal,

Now,  you are evading yourself again from the regular lbtc route…again!

ST.JAMES’S (THE DISTRICT)

Spot where the TEXAN LEGATION was…

And the relief of LORD PALMERSTON…

And the entrance to the CELLARS!

And a posh restaurant!

Exiled in London, President of the Republic, Emperor of France, exiled in London…

Here you have all the WARRANT HOLDERS, just in case you want to do some purchases…

Victorian London’s LinkedIn

On becoming Conservative leader in 1975, Margaret Thatcher was made an honorary member of the club and, as such, until 2008 was the only female member entitled to full membership.

On September 15th, 1830 the MP for Liverpool and former Cabinet minister, William Huskisson, alighted from his carriage on the steam locomotive Northumbrian and became the first person ever to die in a railway accident.

Who shops in JERMYN STREET?

The Commonwealth of Nations is an organisation of 53 independent states made up MOSTLY of former colonies that were part of the British Empire. The Commonwealth is headed by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, however this position is not a hereditary one. 16 nations in The Commonwealth share KING CHARLES as their Head of State, although each of these nations are governed separately. The MONARCHIST LEAGUE’s website might interest you…

The last four countries to join the Commonwealth - Mozambique, Rwanda, Gabon and Togo - have no historical ties to the British Empire.

CAMEROON had, IN PART, , a French and colonial past

United Kingdom, Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, the Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, the Solomon Islands and Tuvalu. These are known as the 'Commonwealth REALMS'.

Australia plans to hold a refere

Up the stairs, diverting from the official lbtc tour… you are exploring another bit of st.james’s

In June 1940 General Charles de Gaulle arrived in London, leaving behind him the defeated France as German forces organised the Vichy government and occupied Paris.

De Gaulle’s mission was to restore honour and glory to both France and her empire. From the 17 June 1940 to his return to France on 14 June 1944 General Charles de Gaulle spent four years in London at 3/4 Carlton Gardens which became the headquarters for the Free French armed forces that he led. For the majority of this period, De Gaulle spent his days at the Carlton Gardens Headquarters where he organised Free French training and operations.

St.james’s square is not far away

After this short tour of st.james’s, Back in the mall…

Carlton House was a major renovation project of George IV before he became king and switched his attention to Buckingham Palace. CARLTON HOUSE was demolished after barely 30 years since its rebuilding

A little diversion from your regular lbtc tour…if you wish

After Horatio Nelson's death at the battle of Trafalgar, in 1805, his body was stored in a barrel of brandy to preserve it during the long journey home. Legend has it that while en route to Gibraltar the crew of the HMS Victory tapped the barrel and would draw brandy through macaroni straws, to toast the Admiral. This is the origin of the term 'tapping the Admiral'.

Landseer was asked to design the sculptures in 1858 but took so long that four years later, he was still sketching the animals and studying them in London Zoo. He asked for a dead lion from the zoo to model them on but it took two years for one to die, at which point they transferred it to Landseer’s studio. The painter was not known for his speed and so, the lion began to decompose whilst he sculpted. For this reason, the paws were completely unrecognisable and Landseer had to model the lion’s paws on cats instead.

Legend has it that George Washington once swore he would never set foot on British soil ever again, the erectors of the Trafalgar Square statue laid it on a foundation of Virginia soil to ensure that Washington did not tell a lie

Now, back into the tour along horseguards road

It was designed as a bomb-proof operations centre for the Admiralty, with foundations 30 ft (9.1 m) deep and a 20-foot (6.1 m) thick concrete roof. It is also linked by tunnels to government buildings in Whitehall.^[12]

Its brutal functionality speaks of a very practical purpose; in the event of a German invasion, it was intended that the building would become a fortress, with loopholed firing positions provided to fend off attackers. Sir Winston Churchill described it in his memoirs as a "vast monstrosity which weighs upon the Horse Guards Parade".^[12] In 1955, a question was asked in the House of Commons about mitigating its harsh appearance. The Minister of Works, Nigel Birch, describing it as "a hideous building", announced that the heavy gun positions were to be removed and that planting Virginia creeper (some sources identify the plants as Boston ivy^[12]) would help to mask the concrete walls. In the same debate, a suggestion by MP John Tilney that a variety of plants be used was rejected by the minister on the grounds that it would "make it like an old-world tea garden".^[13] It became a Grade II listed building in December 1987.^[11]

In 1992 the Admiralty communications centre was established here as the stone frigate HMS St Vincent, which became MARCOMM COMCEN (St Vincent) in 1998. The Admiralty Citadel is still used today by the Ministry of Defence.

A  23-hectare (57-acre) urban park. It is at the southernmost end of the St James's area, which was named after a once isolated medieval hospital dedicated to St James the Less, now the site of St James's Palace. The area was initially enclosed for a deer park near the Palace of Whitehall for King Henry VIII in the 1530's. It is the most easterly of a near-continuous chain of public parks that includes (moving westward) Green Park, Hyde Park, and Kensington Gardens.

Go through the arches and Discover more…

Real tennis, still on offer in “THE VERSAILLES OF LONDON”. Not  anymore cockfighting or joustings…

The Prince’s mentor

After the guinea coin ceased to circulate, the guinea continued in use as a unit of account worth 21 shillings (£1.05 in decimalised currency). The guinea had an aristocratic overtone, so professional fees, and prices of land, horses, art, bespoketailoring, furniture, white goods and other "luxury" items were often quoted in guineas until a couple of years after decimalisation in 1971.

The United Nations convened the First Session of the General Assembly on 10 January 1946 in London, England.

A moment in history: In 1931, the legendary Mahatma Gandhi visited Methodist Central Hall Westminster and gave a talk to the Temperance League in itsLibrary.

Meetings held in the building to form the Free French Forces by General Charles de Gaulle

On 20 March 1966, four months before the 1966 FIFA World Cup in England, the trophy was stolen during a public exhibition at Westminster Central Hall.^[10] It was found seven days later wrapped in newspaper at the bottom of a suburban garden hedge in Beulah Hill, Upper Norwood, South London, by a black and white mongrel dog named Pickles. As a security measure, The Football Association secretly manufactured a replica of the trophy for use in exhibitions rather than the original. This replica was used on occasions up until 1970 when the original trophy had to be handed back to FIFA for the next competition.