49 Belgrave Square | |
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Former names |
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General information | |
Town or city | Belgravia, London |
Country | England |
Coordinates | 51°30′02″N0°09′12″W / 51.5006°N 0.1532°W Coordinates: 51°30′02″N0°09′12″W / 51.5006°N 0.1532°W |
Current tenants | Argentine Ambassador |
Owner | Government of Argentina |
49 Belgrave Square is a Grade II* listed house in Belgrave Square, Belgravia, London.
It was finished in 1851, designed by Thomas Cubitt. [1] [2] In 1859, Mayhew & Knight built the entrance and added the octagonal lobby. [3]
It was originally known as the "Independent North Mansion". [2]
The first owner, Sidney Herbert, 1st Baron Herbert of Lea, named it "Belgrave Villa". [4] His son, Sidney Herbert, 14th Earl of Pembroke, was born there in 1853. After Herbert, the Duke of Richmond lived there. [2]
The house was subsequently acquired by Alfred Beit, and his brother Sir Otto Beit inherited it in 1906. [3] His son Sir Alfred Beit, 2nd Baronet, grew up there and on his father's death in 1930 inherited the house, together with his large art collection. He relocated to Kensington Palace Gardens, and sold the house in 1936. [5]
The building was acquired by Argentina in 1936, and has since been used as that country's Ambassador's official London residence. [6] It has been opened to the public on one weekend a year since 2006, as part of Open House London, which notes the "sumptuous interiors still intact". [2]
During the Second World War, the house became a meeting place and haven for Argentines who volunteered in the British forces, mostly as pilots. [3]
Belgravia is an affluent district in Central London, covering parts of the areas of both the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.
Sidney Herbert, 1st Baron Herbert of Lea, PC was a British statesman and a close ally and confidant of Florence Nightingale.
Grosvenor Square is a large garden square in the Mayfair district of London. It is the centrepiece of the Mayfair property of the Duke of Westminster, and takes its name from the surname "Grosvenor". The unique floor plans, detailed elevations, 3D façade model for the building was done by Michael Gallie.
Belgrave Square is a large, grandiose architecture 19th-century garden square in London. It is the centrepiece of Belgravia and its architecture resembles the original scheme of property contractor Thomas Cubitt who engaged George Basevi for all of the terraces for the 2nd Earl Grosvenor, later the 1st Marquess of Westminster, in the 1820s. Most of the houses were occupied by 1840. The square takes its name from one of the Duke of Westminster's subsidiary titles, Viscount Belgrave. The village and former manor house of Belgrave, Cheshire were among the rural landholdings associated with the main home and gardens of the senior branch of the family, Eaton Hall. Today, many embassies occupy buildings on all four sides.
Sidney Herbert, 14th Earl of Pembroke, 11th Earl of Montgomery,, styled The Honourable Sidney Herbert between 1861 and 1895, was a British politician and peer.
Eaton Square is a rectangular, residential garden square in London's Belgravia district. It is the largest square in London. It is one of the three squares built by the landowning Grosvenor family when they developed the main part of Belgravia in the 19th century that are named after places in Cheshire — in this case Eaton Hall, the Grosvenor country house. It is larger but less grand than the central feature of the district, Belgrave Square, and both larger and grander than Chester Square. The first block was laid out by Thomas Cubitt from 1827. In 2016 it was named as the "Most Expensive Place to Buy Property in Britain", with a full terraced house costing on average £17 million — many of such town houses have been converted, within the same, protected structures, into upmarket apartments.
The Embassy of Germany in London is the diplomatic mission of Germany in the United Kingdom. The embassy is located at Belgrave Square, in Belgravia. It occupies three of the original terraced houses in Belgrave Square and a late 20th-century extension.
The Embassy of Serbia in London is the diplomatic mission of Serbia in the United Kingdom. The building is part of a single group of Grade I listed buildings at 25—36 Belgrave Square.
Sir Alfred Lane Beit, 2nd Baronet was a British Conservative Party politician, art collector and philanthropist and honorary Irish citizen.
Mary Elizabeth Herbert, Baroness Herbert of Lea, known simply as Elizabeth Herbert, was an English Roman Catholic writer, translator, philanthropist, and influential social figure.
Wilton Crescent is a street in central London, comprising a sweeping elegant terrace of Georgian houses and the private communal gardens that the semi-circle looks out upon. The houses were built in the early 19th century and are now Grade II listed buildings. The street is the northern projection of Belgravia and is often taken to fall into the category of London's garden squares.
The High Commission of Barbados in London is the diplomatic mission of Barbados in the United Kingdom. Among the initial diplomatic missions to be established by Barbados after the attainment of independence from Britain, the office was initially located at 28 Cockspur Street where it shared a joint mission with Guyana. In the early 1970s the mission relocated to 6 Upper Belgrave Street, London. Barbados' High Commission remained at that location until the mid 1980s when it moved to its present location at the corner of 1 Great Russell Street in London's Bloomsbury neighbourhood . The High Commission is maintained by Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade Barbados and houses the head office of the Barbados Maritime Ship Registry (BMSR). The present High Commissioner is Milton Inniss, appointed on 1 October 2018, who replaced the Rev. Guy Hewitt.
Chesham Place is a street in Belgravia, London UK, running between Belgrave Square and Pont Street. It is home to several embassies and has had many distinguished residents.
The Embassy of Italy in London is the diplomatic mission of Italy in the United Kingdom. The front entrance is located on a private cul-de-sac in Mayfair, though there is also an entrance at the back on Grosvenor Square.
The Embassy of Austria in London is the diplomatic mission of the Republic of Austria in the United Kingdom. The embassy is located at 18 Belgrave Mews West in the Belgravia area of London, and the residence of the ambassador is located at 18 Belgrave Square.
The Embassy of Belgium in London is Belgium's diplomatic mission to the United Kingdom. It is located at 17 Grosvenor Crescent, having moved from its historical location in Eaton Square in 2006.
The Embassy of Portugal in London is the diplomatic mission of Portugal in the United Kingdom. The embassy is located on Belgrave Square, Belgravia, in two separate buildings, and there is also a Portuguese consulate in Portland Place, Fitzrovia.
The Embassy of Spain in London is the diplomatic mission of Spain in the United Kingdom. The embassy is located at 24 Belgrave Square in the Belgravia area of London. Spain also maintains a Consulate General at 20 Draycott Place in Chelsea, a Defence Office at 3 Hans Crescent in Knightsbridge, an Education, Employment & Social Affairs Office at 20 Peel Street in Holland Park, and an Economic & Commercial Section at 66 Chiltern Street in Marylebone.
The Embassy of Turkey in London is the diplomatic mission of Turkey in the United Kingdom. There was an embassy of the Ottoman Empire in London dating from 1793; this was suspended in 1914 following the outbreak of the First World War and replaced by the embassy of the new Republic of Turkey in 1924. From 1901-1954 the embassy was located at 69 Portland Place before moving to its current location; however this building was kept and is currently used as the Ambassador's Residence.
The Embassy of Norway in London at 25 Belgrave Square is the diplomatic mission of Norway in the United Kingdom. The embassy is located on Belgrave Square in a building it has occupied since 1949.
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