A Piece of Home

I spent a few hours on Saturday afternoon walking around the neighborhood of Mayfair, an upmarket area located just east of Hyde Park in Central London. It's a quiet area with few overly busy streets and a beautiful and predominantly brick architecture. In addition to being home to the likes of Madonna, Mayfair is also home to the Embassy of the United States of America to the Court of St. James's. The current embassy is located in a building of 1950s construction at the western end of Grosvenor Square. The installation boasts a staff of 750 and serves as the United States' primary presence in the United Kingdom. There are also American consulates located in Belfast and Edinburgh and additional offices in Glasgow and Cardiff.

The following picture was taken from the closest vantage point a camera-toting individual can obtain without drawing undue attention from armed local police or United States Marines.

And this next picture is one I took in wintertime a few years ago when all the leaves were down and you could get a good view from across the Square.

Since the 1960s, security has been a concern at the current location. The area is quite densely developed and there are roadways that pass within feet of the building. Security elements, provided by both the British and American governments, have stifled automobile and pedestrian traffic in the area. Nearly two years ago the United States made public its intention to relocate its embassy to a location that could be made more secure. The current location under consideration is in South London quite near where I live.

And, finally, here's an interesting fact... The embassy in London is not located on land owned by the United States, but, rather, on land leased from the Duke of Westminster. The United States did ask the Duke of Westminster to purchase the land and was refused unless land (primarily in Virginia) confiscated from his ancestors during the Revolutionary War was returned.

And here's another interesting fact (coupled with some pictures I lifted off the embassy's website)... The American ambassador lives in a place called Winfield House, which is centrally located on 12 acres in Regent's Park. Unlike the embassy, Winfield House is owned by the United States.