A Scottish Presbyterian congregation was first established in London during the reign of King James I of England and VI of Scots, following the Union of the Crowns in 1603. Some of his Scottish courtiers worshipped in a chapel near the old Whitehall Palace at the diplomatic site as "Scotland Yard" and later provided the original headquarters of London's Metropolitan Police. The Reverend Philip Majcher (formerly a chaplain in the British Army) was inducted as the new minister on 18 December 2007 and retired on 31 December 2020.