59-569: Great Scotland Yard is a street in Westminster , London, connecting Northumberland Avenue and Whitehall . By the 16th century, this "yard", which was then a series of open courtyards within the Palace of Whitehall , was fronted by buildings used by diplomatic representatives of the Kingdom of Scotland . Over time the land was divided into Great Scotland Yard, Middle Scotland Yard and Little Scotland Yard. In
118-550: A London Borough created in 1965) extended from the River Thames to the old Roman road from the City to western England, which is now locally called Oxford Street . {{{annotations}}} Thorney Island lay between the arms of the former River Tyburn at its confluence with the Thames, while the western boundary with Chelsea was formed by the similarly lost River Westbourne . The line of
177-509: A direct ancestor to Clan MacDuff , which produced all mormaers and earls of Fife from the 11th to the mid-14th century, noting that Giric could be the actual founder of the house, following a pattern of several Scottish clans seemingly founded by grandsons of their eponym. The only event reported in Kenneth's reign is the killing of Dúngal mac Cináeda by Gille Coemgáin mac Cináeda, by the Annals of
236-457: A dozen monks in Dunstan's original foundation, up to a maximum of about eighty monks. Most of the parishes of Westminster originated as daughter parishes of St Margaret's parish , in the City and Liberty of Westminster , Middlesex . The exceptions to this were St Clement Danes , St Mary le Strand and possibly some other small areas. The ancient parish was St Margaret ; after 1727 this became
295-657: A geographical area at all; employed especially in the phrase "Westminster Village gossip", it denotes a supposedly close social circle of members of parliament, political journalists, so-called spin-doctors and others connected to events in the Palace of Westminster and in Government ministries. The area has a substantial residential population. By the 20th century Westminster saw rising numbers of residential apartments with wealthy inhabitants. Hotels, large Victorian homes and barracks exist near to Buckingham Palace . Westminster hosts
354-535: A gym. The history of the building is split between the back and the front of the hotel. It has been claimed that the Kings of Scotland had part of Whitehall Palace for their use when they visited Westminster, and that this is the origin of the name "Great Scotland Yard". In approximately 997–1005, a residence was first given to Kenneth III of Scotland , as his residence. The last of the Scottish royal family who resided here
413-540: A head for spectators, and his premises thereby gained unsought attention. Later that year, the Metropolitan Police repaired the building and converted it to accommodate living quarters for the Police Commissioner and his top deputies on the first floor. The façade as we know it was refurbished in 1910, along with the sides of the hotel, creating the building as we know it now. The current Edwardian building
472-583: A salmon and various proofs that the consecration had already occurred. Every year on 29 June, St Peter's Day, the Worshipful Company of Fishmongers presents the Abbey with a salmon in memory of this event. A charter of 785, possibly a forgery, grants land to the needy people of God in Thorney, in the dreadful spot which is called Westminster . The text suggests a pre-existing monastic community who chose to live in
531-410: A stranger in tattered foreign clothing over the Thames to Thorney Island . It was a miraculous appearance of St Peter , a fisherman himself, coming to the island to consecrate the newly built church, which later developed into Westminster Abbey . He rewarded Edric with a bountiful catch when he next dropped his nets. Edric was instructed to present the king and St. Mellitus, Bishop of London , with
590-521: A very challenging location. The recorded origins of the Abbey (rather than a less important religious site) date to the 960s or early 970s, when Saint Dunstan and King Edgar installed a community of Benedictine monks on the site. Between 1042 and 1052, King Edward the Confessor began rebuilding St Peter's Abbey to provide himself with a royal burial church. It was the first church in England built in
649-512: Is consequently also used in reference to the Westminster system , the parliamentary model of democratic government that has evolved in the United Kingdom and for those other nations, particularly in the Commonwealth of Nations and for other parts of the former British Empire that adopted it. The term "Westminster Village", sometimes used in the context of British politics, does not refer to
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#1733086043158708-755: Is uncertain, although most propose this Kenneth. A son, or grandson of Boite, was reported to be killed by Malcolm II in 1032 in the Annals of Ulster. The relevant entry has been translated as: "The grandson of Baete son of Cinaed was killed by Mael Coluim son of Cinaed". Kenneth's granddaughter, Gruoch (Gruoch ingen Boite meic Cináeda) – William Shakespeare 's Lady Macbeth – was wife firstly of Gille Coemgáin , mormaer of Moray , and secondly of King Macbeth ; her son by Gille Coemgáin, Lulach (Lulach mac Gille Coemgáin), succeeded Macbeth as king of Scotland. The meic Uilleim , descendants of William fitz Duncan by his first marriage, were probably descended from Kenneth; and
767-565: The Admiralty . Below it are two streets that are culs-de-sac : Middle Scotland Yard, where Whitehall Place is today, and Lower Scotland Yard, entered from Middle Scotland Yard. Lower Scotland Yard was where the War Office building was erected in 1906, but was, according to the 1862 map, renamed Middle Scotland Yard when Whitehall Place, originally a cul-de-sac, took the place of the original Middle Scotland Yard. The Clarence public house, named after
826-600: The City of Westminster and its council as Westminster City Council . The City and Liberty of Westminster and the Metropolitan Borough of Westminster were very similar in extent, covering the parts of the wider modern City of Westminster south of the Oxford Street , and its continuations Hyde Park Place. The exception is that part of Kensington Gardens , south of that road, are part of Paddington . Westminster merged with St Marylebone and Paddington in 1965, but
885-778: The Civil Service . 3–5 Great Scotland Yard is now a five-star Hyatt luxury hotel located on Great Scotland Yard Road in Westminster. It has a very long history as it sits on the previous site of the Ministry of Defence Library, but was built in 1906 as the Central London Recruiting Office. The hotel has 151 rooms with 15 suites and a stand-alone townhouse located at 1 Great Scotland Yard. The Edwardian townhouse has its own private entrance and has two bedrooms across five floors. The hotel also contains four bars and restaurants and
944-517: The Clann Mac Aoidh or Clan Mackay claim descent from Kenneth III through Lulach's daughter. The theory that Clan MacDuff were descendants of Kenneth III was based on their close connection to royalty. Andrew of Wyntoun reported that Malcolm III (reigned 1058–1093) had granted to a "MacDuff, thane of Fife" the privilege of enthroning the kings at their inauguration. John of Fordun has Malcolm III promise this same unnamed MacDuff that he will be
1003-541: The Duke of Clarence , dates from 1896. It was originally attached to the opposite corner of Great Scotland Yard by an archway. The archway was removed during the 1908 redevelopment of Great Scotland Yard, and the end of the building was refaced with slightly different coloured bricks. Since 1953, The Civil Service Club has been based in the Old Fire House at numbers 13–15, and is a social club for current and former members of
1062-641: The High Commissions of many Commonwealth countries: Within the area is Westminster School , a major public school which grew out of the abbey, and the University of Westminster , attended by over 20,000 students. Kenneth III of Scotland Cináed mac Duib ( Modern Gaelic : Coinneach mac Dhuibh ; c. 966 – c. 25 March 1005), anglicised as Kenneth III , and nicknamed An Donn ("the Chief" or "the Brown"),
1121-473: The Metropolitan Police Service , the original Metropolitan Police Commissioner's office at 4 Whitehall Place, had a rear entrance on Great Scotland Yard. An 1862 map of Westminster shows the location. Over time, Scotland Yard was used generally as a metonym for the police headquarters. Richard Horwood 's 1799 map of London shows Great Scotland Yard on the eastern side of Whitehall , opposite
1180-449: The Palace of Westminster , near the abbey, became the principal royal residence, a transition marked by the transfer of royal treasury and financial records to Westminster from Winchester . Later the palace housed the developing Parliament and England's law courts . Thus, London developed two focal points: the City of London (financial/economic) and Westminster (political and cultural). The monarchs moved their principal residence to
1239-453: The Palace of Whitehall (1530–1698), then to St James's Palace in 1698, and eventually to Buckingham Palace and other palaces after 1762. The main law courts moved to the Royal Courts of Justice in the late-19th century. The settlement grew up around the palace and abbey, as a service area for them. The parish church, St Margaret's Westminster served the wider community of the parish;
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#17330860431581298-594: The Peabody Trust founded by philanthropist George Peabody . Given the focus on Westminster in English and British public life over centuries, the name "Westminster" is casually used as a metonym for the UK Parliament and for the political community of the United Kingdom generally. (The civil service is similarly referred to using the name of the northern sub-neighbourhood which it inhabits, " Whitehall ".) "Westminster"
1357-615: The River Tyburn , yet Victoria Street and other small streets and squares had the highest colouring of social class in London: yellow/gold. Westminster has shed the abject poverty with the clearance of this slum and with drainage improvement, but there is a typical Central London property distinction within the area which is very acute, epitomised by grandiose 21st-century developments, architectural high-point listed buildings and nearby social housing (mostly non- council housing ) buildings of
1416-516: The Romanesque style. The building was completed around 1060 and was consecrated on 28 December 1065, only a week before Edward's death on 5 January 1066. A week later, he was buried in the church; and, nine years later, his wife Edith was buried alongside him. His successor, Harold II , was probably crowned in the abbey, although the first documented coronation is that of William the Conqueror later
1475-557: The 1874 design. The green doors have borne witness to many historic events and characters and have become a symbol and shorthand for Great Scotland Yard as part of the city of London's rich heritage. On 30 May 1884, the Fenians exploded a bomb at the location, which blew a hole in the wall of Scotland Yard, and damaged the Rising Sun public house. People came to inspect the damage, and the proprietor charged 3 d (equivalent to £1.65 in 2023)
1534-458: The 19th century, it was a street and open space, which was the location of a public entrance to the original headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service of London, causing the name " Scotland Yard " to become synonymous with the police service. Although the etymology is not certain, according to a 1964 article in The New York Times , the name derives from buildings that accommodated
1593-468: The City of London and Southwark were enfranchised. The growing Elizabethan city had a High Constable, Bailiff, Town Clerk, and a keeper of the ponds. Charles Booth 's poverty map showing Westminster in 1889 recorded the full range of income- and capital-brackets living in adjacent streets within the area; its central western area had become (by 1850) (the) Devil's Acre in the southern flood-channel ravine of
1652-536: The City of Westminster in Central London , England. It extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street and has many famous landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster , Buckingham Palace , Westminster Abbey , Westminster Cathedral , Trafalgar Square and much of the West End cultural centre including the entertainment precinct of West End Theatre . The name ( Old English : Westmynstre ) originated from
1711-553: The Four Masters s.a. 999. It is not certain that this refers to events in Scotland, and whether one or both were sons of this Kenneth, or of King Kenneth II or some other person or persons, is not known. A "Gilla Caemgein son of Cinaed" also appears in the Annals of Ulster . An entry from the year 1035 reports that his unnamed granddaughter and her husband Cathal, son of Amalgaid, were both killed by Cellach, son of Dúnchad. This Cathal
1770-475: The Hackney Carriage and Detective Department in 1874. The building was the first dedicated space for the detective department and was where all the high-profile cases were processed and high-profile prisoners were held. The striking and individual architecture of Great Scotland Yard is recognisable and iconic to many worldwide. Its Edwardian red brick, Portland stone and the famous green doors were all part of
1829-609: The MacDuffs had their own, legitimate claim to the Scottish throne, which they declined to pursue, having been compensated with privileges by Malcolm III and his descendants. During the 10th century, there were dynastic conflicts in Scotland between two rival lines of royalty: one descended from Causantín mac Cináeda (Constantine I, reigned 862–877), the other from his brother Áed mac Cináeda (reigned 877–878). John of Fordun claims that Kenneth II of Scotland (reigned 971–995) attempted to establish new succession rules, which would limit
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1888-475: The Middlesex sessions also had jurisdiction. Under local government reforms in 1889, the area fell within the newly created County of London , and the local government of Westminster was further reformed in 1900, when the court of burgesses and the parish vestries were abolished and replaced by the Metropolitan Borough of Westminster . The borough was given city status at the same time, allowing it to be known as
1947-522: The Picts and Scots of William Forbes Skene . The chronicle of John of Fordun (14th century) mentions Giric as "Grim" or "Gryme", reporting him killed by King Malcolm II . Giric is not mentioned by earlier sources, which would make his existence questionable. John Bannerman theorised that mac Duib , the Gaelic patronymic of Kenneth III, evolved to the surnames Duff and MacDuff , and that Kenneth III could be
2006-478: The area began with the establishment of Westminster Abbey on a site then called Thorney Island . The site may have been chosen because of the natural ford which is thought to have carried Watling Street over the Thames in the vicinity. The wider district became known as Westminster in reference to the church. The legendary origin is that in the early 7th century, a local fisherman named Edric (or Aldrich) ferried
2065-501: The civil parish of 'St Margaret and St John', the latter a new church required for the increasing population. The area around Westminster Abbey formed the extra-parochial Close of the Collegiate Church of St Peter . Like many large parishes, Westminster was divided into smaller units called Hamlets (meaning a territorial sub-division, rather than a small village). These would later become independent daughter parishes. Until 1900
2124-431: The combined area was allowed to keep the title City of Westminster . For a list of street name etymologies for Westminster see Street names of Westminster The former Thorney Island , the site of Westminster Abbey , formed the historic core of Westminster. The abbey became the traditional venue of the coronations of the kings and queens of England from that of Harold Godwinson (1066) onwards. From about 1200
2183-521: The diplomatic representatives of the Kingdom of Scotland and the Scottish kings when they visited the English court – in effect, acting as the Scottish embassy , although such an institution was not formalized. Scotland Yard was certainly built and so-named by 1515, as Henry VIII's sister, Margaret Tudor , Queen of Scots, was lodged there. By the 17th century, the yard housed government buildings and residences for English civil servants. The architects Inigo Jones and Christopher Wren lived there, as did
2242-603: The first man of the kingdom, second only to the king. This unnamed MacDuff appears frequently in stories connected to the rise of Malcolm III to the throne and was later immortalised in the Shakespearean character Macduff . The status of the successive heads of this clan as the " senior inaugural official " seems confirmed by records of the inauguration ceremonies of Alexander II (reigned 1214–1249) and Alexander III (reigned 1249–1286). Earlier heads of this house " witnessed royal documents far more frequently " than other members of
2301-519: The home of England's government since about 1200, and from 1707 the Government of the United Kingdom . In 1539, it became a city. Westminster is often used as a metonym to refer to the Parliament of the United Kingdom , which sits in the Palace of Westminster . The City and Liberty of Westminster and other historical Westminster administrative units (except the broader modern City of Westminster ,
2360-595: The informal description of the abbey church and royal peculiar of St Peter's (Westminster Abbey), west of the City of London (until the English Reformation there was also an Eastminster , near the Tower of London , in the East End of London ). The abbey's origins date from between the 7th and 10th centuries, but it rose to national prominence when rebuilt by Edward the Confessor in the 11th century. Westminster has been
2419-663: The local authority was the combined vestry of St Margaret and St John (also known as the Westminster District Board of Works from 1855 to 1887), which was based at Westminster Town Hall in Caxton Street from 1883. The Liberty of Westminster, governed by the Westminster Court of Burgesses , also included St Martin in the Fields and several other parishes and places . Westminster had its own quarter sessions , but
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2478-501: The nobility; their names were often listed first among the lay witnesses, ahead of both the native Scottish nobility and the Anglo-Norman nobles. A number of 12th century heads of house served as justiciars of Scotia . Their leaders were named Donnchadh ( Duncan ), Mael-Coluim ( Malcolm ), and Causantin ( Constantine ), names shared by the royal family, making a close relation to the reigning royal house likely. Bannerman suggests that
2537-469: The parish ranked as a "City", although it was only a fraction of the size of the City of London and the Borough of Southwark at that time. Indeed, the cathedral and diocesan status of the church lasted only from 1539 to 1556, but the "city" status remained for a mere parish within Middlesex. As such it is first known to have had two Members of Parliament in 1545 as a new Parliamentary Borough , centuries after
2596-631: The poet John Milton from 1649 to 1651, during the Commonwealth of England under the rule of Oliver Cromwell . Towards the end of the 17th century, the district was already associated with prominence and prestige; for example in the 1690s in his satirical A Tale of a Tub , Jonathan Swift claimed the regard of "my worthy brethren and friends at Will's Coffee-house , and Gresham College , and Warwick Lane , and Moorfields , and Scotland Yard, and Westminster Hall , and Guildhall ; in short, to all inhabitants and retainers whatsoever, either in court, or church, or camp, or city, or country...". According to
2655-400: The right to the throne to his own descendants, excluding all other claimants. While Constantine III of Scotland (reigned 995–997) did manage to rise to the throne, he was the last known descendant of Áed. With his death, the rivalry between descendants of Causantin and Áed gave way to a rivalry between two new royal lines, both descended from Causantin. One line descended from Kenneth II and
2714-587: The river still forms (with very slight revisions) the boundaries of the modern borough with the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea . Further north, away from the river mouth, Westminster included land on both sides of the Westbourne, notably Knightsbridge (including the parts of Hyde Park west of the Serpentine lake (originally formed by damming the river) and most of Kensington Gardens). Westminster includes
2773-582: The same year. The only extant depiction of Edward's abbey, together with the adjacent Palace of Westminster , is in the Bayeux Tapestry . Some of the lower parts of the monastic dormitory, an extension of the south transept, survive in the Norman Undercroft of the Great School, including a door said to come from the previous Saxon abbey. Increased endowments supported a community that increased from
2832-501: The servants of the palace and abbey as well as the rural population and those associated with the high status homes developing on the road from the city. The area became larger and in the Georgian period became connected through urban ribbon development with the City along the Strand. Henry VIII 's Reformation in the early 16th century abolished the abbey and established a cathedral – thus
2891-540: The sub-districts of Soho , St James , Mayfair , Covent Garden , Pimlico , Victoria , Belgravia and Knightsbridge (shared with neighbouring Kensington ). The former City of Westminster merged with the neighbouring boroughs of Paddington and Marylebone in 1965 to form a larger modern borough. These neighbouring areas (except for a small area of Paddington in part of Kensington Gardens), lie north of Oxford Street and its westward continuation, Bayswater Road. The district's open spaces include: The development of
2950-412: The triumph of his line. He continued to rule to 1034, enjoying a long reign and managed to leave the throne to his own descendants. However, the rivalry between the two lines survived Kenneth III. In 1033, Malcolm II killed a descendant of Kenneth III. Gruoch , another descendant of Kenneth III, was the consort of Macbeth, King of Scotland (reigned 1040–1057), whose rival Duncan I (reigned 1034–1040)
3009-567: Was King of Alba ( Scotland ) from 997 to 1005. He was the son of Dub (Dub mac Maíl Coluim). Many of the Scots sources refer to him as Giric son of Kenneth son of Dub, which is taken to be an error. An alternate explanation is that Kenneth had a son, Giric, who ruled jointly with his father. The primary sources concerning the life and "reign" of Giric include chronicle entries dating to the years 1251 and 1317. They can be found in The Chronicles of
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#17330860431583068-613: Was Margaret, Queen of Scots, wife of James IV of Scotland and sister to King Henry VIII . She resided here after the death of her husband at the Battle of Flodden. After 1541, it was used as the homes of prominent civil servants due to its proximity to Whitehall Palace . These included Inigo Jones , who designed Covent Garden, Lincoln Inn Fields and Banqueting House, and Christopher Wren who designed St Paul's Cathedral and many London churches. The English poet John Milton , who wrote Paradise Lost , lived on-site from 1649 to 1651. This house
3127-590: Was completed in 1910 and served as the British Army Recruitment Office for World War I and World War 2. It was used by the Ministry of Defence until 2013, first as a recruitment office and then as a library until 2004. In 2013, the building was purchased by the UAE company LuLu Group for £110 million. A World War II scene in the motion picture Atonement (2007) with Keira Knightley and James McAvoy
3186-590: Was constructed in 1910. Not much is known about this space. It is likely that it was an empty courtyard until 1812, where a coach house and reservoir were built to house the king's horses and stewards. Not much changed between these years and the building continued to be used as the Royal Stables. Then, in 1873 the Metropolitan Police brought the stables from the Waterloo and Whitehall Railway company and built
3245-634: Was filmed in this road, as was a scene from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 (2010). The road was also used as part of the car chase scene from the James Bond film Skyfall (2012).. It was also used for the opening scene of the Marvel Studios film Doctor Strange in 2016. Westminster Westminster is a cathedral city and the main settlement of the London Borough of
3304-535: Was originally named the Marshalsea Court House. There were also numerous private residences until 1910. On the right-hand side of the Marshalsea Court House were Royal Stables constructed before 1812 (exact date unknown). They were the stables for the Admiralty and then was used by the police from 1837 onwards. The police also expanded into the Marshalsea Court House from 1847. The current building as we know it
3363-534: Was reportedly king to the Western Laigin , possibly connected to the kings of Leinster . The context is unclear but it is likely that this is the same Gille Coemgáin, connected to Kenneth III. Kenneth III was killed in battle at Monzievaird in Strathearn by king Malcolm II (Máel Coluim mac Cináeda), which took place about 25 March 1005. Whether Boite mac Cináeda was a son of this Kenneth, or of Kenneth II,
3422-448: Was represented by his son Malcolm II . The other line descended from his brother Dub, King of Scotland (reigned 962–967) and was represented by Kenneth III. Neither Constantine III nor Kenneth III were able to extend their control to Cumbria , which likely served as a stronghold and powerbase for Malcolm II. He was the legitimate heir according to the succession rules of Kenneth II. When Malcolm II managed to kill Kenneth III, it signified
3481-407: Was the grandson and heir of Malcolm II. They continued the bitter feud which had started in the previous century. The contemporary kings of Strathclyde were also involved in the feud, though it is uncertain whether they had dynastic connections with the various Scottish rival lines. A theory that they represented another line of descendants of Donald II of Scotland (reigned 889–900) was based on
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