London 1: The Texas Embassy

After winning independence from Mexico, the Republic of Texas was a sovereign nation from 1836 to 1845. It established diplomatic relations with the United Kingdom, which opened an embassy in Brownsville. The Republic of Texas, in turn, opened its own embassy in London in Trafalgar Square. After Texas became a U.S. state, London withdrew its ambassador and Texas did the same.

After lying dormant for some time, the building was purchased by the White Star Line and used as their ticket office, including for that of the ill-fated RMS Titanic. World War II drove White Star into bankruptcy and they were bought out by Cunard Lines, the operator of RMS Carpathia, which rescued Titanic survivors in April 1912.

Gradually the era of the ocean liner gave way to the age of the jet aircraft. After lying dormant again for several years, the building was purchased by some Texas expats and used to open a The Texas Embassy, a Tex-Mex restaurant on Cockspur Street at Trafalgar Square in London.

This is the first in a week-long gallery of images of London.

ISO 100
1/100 sec
f/3.2
7.6 mm