35 St James's Place, London: Dukes London

35 St James's Place, London is Dukes London, a hotel known for its aristocratic beginnings and its famous martini bar. The building dates back to 1890, when it was known as the London Chambers: rooms for visiting aristocracy.

What is at 35 St James's Place, London?

35 St James's Place is the address of Dukes London. Its importance comes from the building's documented history and the bar that has become its defining feature. The property began as London Chambers, providing rooms for visiting aristocracy, before taking on its present hotel identity.

What is the history of Dukes London?

Dukes London became a hotel in 1908. The hotel now has 90 well-appointed rooms, but the address still carries the character of its earlier association with visiting aristocracy. That change—from rooms intended for aristocratic visitors to a named hotel—gives 35 St James's Place a history more specific than a standard hotel address.

The building's aristocratic connection is part of what makes Dukes London distinctive. It is not presented simply as a place to stay; its identity is tied to the rooms that once accommodated visiting members of the aristocracy and to the social world attached to St James's Place.

What is Dukes London known for?

Dukes London is best known for its bar and its famous martinis. Although the hotel contains 90 rooms, the source describes the bar as the defining feature of the establishment. Its clientele is characterised as “wealthy, tawdry, and slightly disreputable”, with famous martinis helping its characters fade into the background.

One of the address's more distinctive stories comes from the husband of Princess Eugenie, who said there was a tunnel directly from St James's Palace to the bar. The claim is presented as possibly joking rather than as an established fact, which suits the bar's atmosphere without proving that such a tunnel exists.

35 St James's Place is also stop 5 of 10 on James Bond: Mission London, where the martini connection becomes part of an interactive challenge. The challenge invites you to collect items on the map to prepare a martini—but leaves the answer itself for the experience.