Christmas in St James's: Fortnum's Advent Calendar, Lock & Co and the OWO Gingerbread House

St James's is quiet, only a few steps from the crowds on Piccadilly.

It is the part of the West End between Piccadilly and St James's Park: old shops, gentlemen's clubs, royal warrants and very little neon. At Christmas it dresses up in the same understated way, with one big exception on Piccadilly.

I walked these streets three times in December: at The OWO, on Piccadilly and on St James's Street. This is my guide to Christmas in St James's, and to the gingerbread house a short walk away on Whitehall.

What Is Christmas in St James's Like?

Calm, grand and old-fashioned. The shops here have been selling hats, shirts, wine and cheese for centuries, and they decorate like it: garlands, wreaths and lit windows rather than light shows.

St James's Street and Pall Mall are also the home of London's oldest gentlemen's clubs, including White's, Boodle's and Brooks's on St James's Street. Their doors are discreet, but at Christmas some of them hang wreaths.

The decorations go up in the first half of November and stay until early January. The shops close on Christmas Day, but the windows stay lit, and many sales start on Boxing Day.

My route starts at Fortnum & Mason on Piccadilly and takes in St James's Church next door. Then I walk down St James's Street to Lock & Co, and on through St James's Park to Whitehall and The OWO. It is about a mile and a half.

Why Does Fortnum & Mason Turn Into an Advent Calendar?

Because it can. Fortnum & Mason was founded in 1707 at 181 Piccadilly, by William Fortnum and Hugh Mason, and its red front has rows of windows that look made for numbering.

Every Christmas the whole facade is lit red, and the windows carry gold numbers like the doors of an advent calendar. When I passed on 13 December 2025, a red sightseeing bus was going by underneath.

Look up at the clock above the door too. It was added in 1964, and on the hour, four-foot figures of Mr Fortnum and Mr Mason come out and bow to each other. The front is at its best just after dark, when the red glow reflects off the passing buses.

The shop windows at street level are a separate show. In 2025 the theme was animals, with unicorns under disco balls, narwhals, Highland cows, parakeets and little red-coated mice running the scenes. I have written up Fortnum & Mason's Christmas windows separately.

Fortnum's says it invented the Scotch egg in 1738, as a snack for travellers, and its Christmas hampers are a tradition of their own.

Inside, the Christmas food hall is at its busiest in December. My guide to visiting Fortnum & Mason has more on the store itself, including whether you can just walk in.

Is There a Christmas Market at St James's Church, Piccadilly?

There is a market all year. St James's Church, next to Fortnum's on Piccadilly, was designed by Sir Christopher Wren and consecrated on 13 July 1684. Piccadilly Market has been held in its churchyard since 1981.

Today it is a lunchtime street-food market, with around 40 traders taking turns through the week. At Christmas a lit tree stands in the churchyard, below the red-brick tower.

It is a good place to sit for a moment between the shops. The church is Grade I listed, and its interior, with Grinling Gibbons carving, is one of Wren's finest.

What Is the Oldest Shop in St James's?

Lock & Co, the hatters at 6 St James's Street. It was founded in 1676 and calls itself the oldest hat shop in the world. It has been in this building since 1765, and the shopfront is Grade II* listed. Inside, hats are still fitted with a conformateur, an old device that maps the shape of your head.

At Christmas its small bow windows are framed with garlands and red flowers, and a garland runs along the balcony above. When I walked past on Boxing Day 2025, the sale had already started, with SALE spelled out in gold letters across the old glass.

It held a royal warrant from the Duke of Edinburgh from 1956 and from the Prince of Wales from 1993, and in 2024 it received one from King Charles III. The bowler hat was first made for Lock & Co, in 1849, for a customer called Edward Coke.

A few doors down, at number 3, is Berry Bros. & Rudd, the wine merchant that has traded on this spot since 1698. Its shop is dark-panelled and crooked-floored, and it is a classic stop for a Christmas bottle.

At the bottom of St James's Street is St James's Palace, with the red-brick Tudor gatehouse built for Henry VIII. It is still a working royal palace, so you look from the pavement.

Boxing Day is a good day for St James's. The streets are almost empty, the decorations are still up, and the sales have begun.

Next to Berry Bros. & Rudd, a narrow timber-lined passage leads to Pickering Place, said to be the smallest square in London. On Boxing Day 2025 a Christmas tree stood in the middle of it, in front of the dark-brick Georgian houses.

It is said to have been the scene of London's last duel. A plaque in the passage records that the Republic of Texas had its legation here, in the years before Texas joined the United States.

On the same walk I passed Estiatorio Milos, the Greek seafood restaurant at the St James's end of Regent Street. Its grand arched doorway had an arch of greenery and a wreath, with small fir trees in pots below.

Where Is the Gingerbread House at The OWO?

In the courtyard of The OWO, the Old War Office on Whitehall, a fifteen-minute walk from St James's Street through St James's Park. For Christmas 2025 a grand gingerbread house was built in the middle of the courtyard, with iced gables and fir trees around it.

The building was designed by William Young in 1898 and finished by his son Clyde Young in 1906. Winston Churchill had his office here as Secretary of State for War from 1919 to 1921.

After years of redevelopment, The OWO opened on 29 September 2023, with the Raffles London hotel, restaurants and apartments inside. Next door is Horse Guards, where the Household Cavalry Museum is open every day. The courtyard is open to the public, so you can walk in and look.

In the middle of the courtyard is Café Ciel, which opened in summer 2025 in a glass pavilion. At Christmas a giant gingerbread man stood at its door.

Walk around the edges of the courtyard, too. The doors under the colonnade were framed with thick garlands of greenery, baubles and red ribbon.

One of the doors had a wreath of red and gold baubles, dried orange slices and cinnamon sticks, and it looked good enough to eat.

For the best view of the gingerbread house, stand in the archway on the way in. It frames the whole courtyard like a stage set. The OWO's restaurants and bars are open to non-residents too, so you can warm up without staying.

What Else Is There to See Near St James's at Christmas?

Burlington Arcade is across Piccadilly, a few minutes from Fortnum's, and it hangs a new Christmas theme from its ceiling every year. Jermyn Street, just behind Piccadilly, is lined with shirtmakers, and its windows are dressed for Christmas presents. Paxton & Whitfield, the cheesemonger at number 93, has been selling cheese since 1797.

St James's Park is at its quietest in December, and the walk along the lake to Horse Guards is the prettiest way to reach Whitehall. Look for the pelicans: the first ones were a gift from the Russian ambassador in 1664. From The OWO, Trafalgar Square and its Norwegian Christmas tree are five minutes away.

For the lights, see my ranking of the best Christmas lights in London, and for more ideas my guide to things to do in London in winter.

St James's is one of eight Christmas area walks on this site. Mayfair is across Piccadilly, and Covent Garden is fifteen minutes east.

Visiting St James's at Christmas: Practical Notes

📍 Where: Fortnum & Mason, 181 Piccadilly. Lock & Co, 6 St James's Street. The OWO, 57 Whitehall.

📅 Open days: Decorations are up from mid-November to early January. Shops close on Christmas Day, and many sales start on Boxing Day.

⏰ Opening: Piccadilly Market runs at lunchtime five days a week. Check the church's website for the days and for Christmas services.

🎫 Admission: Free. The OWO courtyard is open to the public.

🚇 Getting there: Green Park or Piccadilly Circus for Fortnum's and St James's Street. Westminster, Embankment or Charing Cross for The OWO.

☕ Food: Fortnum & Mason's restaurants, the street-food stalls at Piccadilly Market at lunchtime, and Café Ciel at The OWO.

⏳ How long: Two to three hours, walking from Piccadilly to Whitehall through St James's Park.

📷 Best time: Late afternoon in early December, to see Fortnum's front lit up as it gets dark.

🗺️ Nearby: Burlington Arcade, Jermyn Street, St James's Park, Horse Guards and Trafalgar Square.

♿ Access: Pavements around St James's and Whitehall are level and paved.

The detail I look for is the clock above Fortnum's door. On the hour, Mr Fortnum and Mr Mason come out and bow to each other, four feet tall, while the red numbered windows glow above them.

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