So what was the Republic of Texas and how did it come to have a legation in London? Well, Texas was initially a province of Mexico but, by the 1830’s, English-speaking Americans had settled there in large numbers and far outnumbered the native Mexicans. In 1836, a Texan army under the command of Sam Houston defeated the Mexican forces at San Jacinto and established a republic, which would last for almost a decade. During that period, its position was precarious, caught between Mexico, which rejected its independence and threatened re-conquest, and the United States, which seemed unwilling to annex it. The vulnerable republic sought to safeguard itself by fostering ties with foreign powers and consequently established legations in Washington D.C., France and, of course, Britain, then the most powerful global empire.

Ashbel Smith, a medical doctor and one of the founders of the University of Texas (and later the Republic’s Secretary of State), was sent across the Atlantic to serve as the Texas representative in London. He soon set up residence at 4 St James Street, in Pickering Place. This was a very convenient location for a legation, just across the street from St. James Palace, where diplomats were presented to the monarch, Queen Victoria, at the Court of St. James. The legation might have been set in august surroundings but the premises had a shady history, previously housing a whorehouse and a gambling den. The building’s landlord was Berry Brothers & Rudd, a wine and spirits merchant, which first took over the premises in 1698 and remains in business on the same site to this very day (though we were so focused on our historical quest we did not sample their goods!).