Divisions run deep along the Thames

LONDON - John Adams slept here. As ambassador to the Court of St. James's from the newly born United States of America, the future president took up residence on Grosvenor Square in the fashionable Mayfair district, close to the bespoke tailors on Savile Row and the royal residence at Buckingham Palace. The move launched a US presence on the square, north of the river Thames, that has lasted more than 200 years.

Not for much longer. The US Embassy announced that, partly for security reasons, it will be puling up stakes from one of London's smartest enclaves in exchange for a diplomatic compound to be built in the Nine Elms neighborhood just 2 miles away, as the crow flies.

That crow, however, would be flying across the Thames to London's south side, and therein lies the rub. As anyone will tell you, the river is more than just a physical divide between London's upper and lower halves; it's a psychological and social one, too.

Which side of the Thames you live on, north or south, truly puts you on the map - not just the indispensable "A to Z" street guide found in every household, but the mental atlas Londoners consult to locate you on the spectrum of sass and class.

The north is, without doubt, classic London, home to Buckingham Palace, the houses of Parliament, Hyde Park, and long-established, phenomenally expensive enclaves. The city's theater district, museums, concert halls, and posh restaurants and stores are also here.

Ask a north Londoner about the other side of the Thames, and he might sniff that it's "a bit common, really."

Not surprising, southerners don't take kindly to such superior sighs. They see their northern neighbors as snobs too stuffy to appreciate the merits of south London, which might lack Old World elegance but buzzes with the energy and edge that a new wave of residents has generated.

More affordable home prices have led to a recent boom in the south's popularity among yuppies, whose demand for cafes and clubs eagerly is being catered to.

The antagonism across the river won't end any time soon, and Londoners, an opinionated bunch, no doubt will continue to vote with their feet.

The US Embassy is doing just that with its eventual move to Nine Elms. Ambassador Robert H. Tuttle said the United States was happy to contribute to the exciting regeneration of the London's south side. But one of the best things about the new site, according to another US official? The views of the north.