Lancaster House | |
---|---|
General information | |
Architectural style | Neo-classical |
Location | St James's London, SW1 United Kingdom |
Coordinates | 51°30′14″N0°8′21″W / 51.50389°N 0.13917°W |
Current tenants | Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office |
Construction started | 1825 |
Completed | 1840 |
Owner | HM Government |
Technical details | |
Floor count | Three (plus basement) |
Design and construction | |
Architect(s) | Benjamin Dean Wyatt (interior and exterior) Sir Charles Barry (interior) Sir Robert Smirke (interior) |
References | |
Listed Building – Grade I | |
Official name | Lancaster House |
Designated | 5 February 1970 |
Reference no. | 1236546 |
Lancaster House (originally known as York House and then Stafford House) is a mansion on The Mall in the St James's district in the West End of London. Adjacent to The Green Park, it is next to Clarence House and St James's Palace, as much of the site was once part of the palace grounds. Initially planned for Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany, it was ultimately completed by the Duke of Sutherland, then Marquess of Stafford, as an aristocratic townhouse in the early 19th century, and known for its lavish interiors. Gifted to the government in the early 20th century, it houses the government's wine cellars and was home to the London Museum until World War II. Now used for diplomatic receptions and related functions by the Foreign Office, it is a historic Grade I listed building, [1] and its interiors are sometimes used in films or television as a stand in for Buckingham Palace.
Construction of the house commenced in 1825 for the Duke of York and Albany, the second son of King George III, and it was initially known as York House. [2] : 155 Sir Robert Smirke was originally hired to design the house, until under the influence of the Duke's mistress the Duchess of Rutland, he was replaced by Benjamin Dean Wyatt who mainly designed the exterior. [2] : 155 The house was only a shell by the time of the death of the Duke in 1827. It is constructed from Bath stone, in a neo-classical style. The lease of the house was purchased by the 2nd Marquess of Stafford (later 1st Duke of Sutherland) and was under his direction that it was completed in 1838. [1] It was known as Stafford House for almost a century. [3]
The completed building was three floors in height, the State rooms being on the first floor or piano nobile , family living rooms on the ground floor and family bedrooms on the second floor. There was also a basement containing service rooms and wine cellar. The interior, featured an imperial staircase which was designed by Sir Charles Barry, as well Louis XIV Style rooms which were lavishly decorated. [1]
The Sutherlands’ liberal politics and love of the arts attracted many distinguished guests, including factory reformer the Earl of Shaftesbury, anti-slavery author Harriet Beecher Stowe and Italian revolutionary leader Giuseppe Garibaldi. Chopin gave a recital there in 1848 in the presence of Queen Victoria. [4]
Queen Victoria is said to have remarked to the 2nd Duchess of Sutherland on arriving at Stafford House, "I have come from my House to your Palace." With its ornate decoration and the dramatic sweep of the great staircase, the Grand Hall is a magnificent introduction to one of the finest town houses in London. The house went out of royal favour after the 3rd Duchess died, in 1888, and her husband married his mistress within months. [5]
In 1912 the lease was purchased by the Lancastrian industrialist and philanthropist Sir William Lever, 1st Baronet (later 1st Viscount Leverhulme) who renamed it in honour of his native county of Lancashire and presented it to the nation in the following year. [2] : 158–161
Since 1922 the building has housed the Government Wine Cellar, [6] [7] and, from 1924 until shortly after the Second World War, the house was the home of the London Museum. [8]
The allied government's European Advisory Commission on the political and social future of Europe after the Second World War met here throughout 1944 and into 1945. In January 1947 a special envoy meeting on affairs concerning occupied Austria was hosted here. The year 1956, the house saw the signing of the agreement of independence for Malaya. In 1961, South Africa affirmed its intention to become a republic, inside the Commonwealth. In 1979 it was the scene of the Lancaster House Agreement, which led to the independence of Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe, from the United Kingdom. [2] : 161
The house was the venue for the 10th G7 summit in 1984 and the 17th G7 summit in 1991. [9] A new 35-foot-long table was built for the Long Gallery, where the main negotiating sessions were planned in 1991. [10]
Prime Minister Theresa May gave a speech at Lancaster House in January 2017 outlining Britain's intended future relationship with the European Union following the 2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum which resulted in a vote to leave. The speech is commonly referred to in the media, and in political discourse, as the "Lancaster House speech". [11]
Winston Churchill commented that towards the end of the 19th century, "glittering parties at Lansdowne House, Devonshire House or Stafford House (Lancaster House) comprised all the elements which made a gay and splendid social circle in close relation to the business of Parliament, the hierarchies of the Army and Navy, and the policy of the State". [12]
Lancaster House has been extensively used as a filming location. It has stood in for Buckingham Palace at least six times in film and television: for the comedy film King Ralph (1991), [13] the mystery adventure film National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007), [14] the historical drama film The Young Victoria (2009), [15] the historical drama film The King's Speech (2010), [16] and the 2013 Christmas special for Downton Abbey , when Rose is presented to the King and Queen during the London Season. [17] Lancaster House reprised its role as Buckingham Palace for the Netflix series The Crown . [18] The interior was used to represent the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg for the 1981 film Reds. It also appears as the house of Lady Bracknell in the comedy of manners film The Importance of Being Earnest (2002), and as the site of a masquerade ball in the Merchant-Ivory film The Golden Bowl (2000). [19] [20]
Buckingham Palace is a royal residence in London, and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality. It has been a focal point for the British people at times of national rejoicing and mourning.
The British royal family comprises King Charles III and his close relations. There is no strict legal or formal definition of who is or is not a member, although the Royal Household has issued different lists outlining who is a part of the royal family. Members often support the monarch in undertaking public engagements, and pursue charitable work and interests. Members of the royal family are regarded as British and world cultural icons.
George VI was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of India from 1936 until the British Raj was dissolved in August 1947, and the first head of the Commonwealth following the London Declaration of 1949.
Blenheim Palace is a country house in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, England. It is the seat of the Dukes of Marlborough. Originally called Blenheim Castle, it has been known as Blenheim Palace since the 19th century. One of England's largest houses, it was built between 1705 and 1722, and designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.
Marlborough House, a Grade I listed mansion on The Mall in St James's, City of Westminster, London, is the headquarters of the Commonwealth of Nations and the seat of the Commonwealth Secretariat. It is adjacent to St James's Palace.
The Palace of Whitehall – also spelled White Hall – at Westminster was the main residence of the English monarchs from 1530 until 1698, when most of its structures, with the notable exception of Inigo Jones's Banqueting House of 1622, were destroyed by fire. Henry VIII moved the royal residence to White Hall after the old royal apartments at the nearby Palace of Westminster were themselves destroyed by fire. Although the Whitehall palace has not survived, the area where it was located is still called Whitehall and has remained a centre of the British government.
St James's Palace is the most senior royal palace in London, the capital of the United Kingdom. The palace gives its name to the Court of St James's, which is the monarch's royal court, and is located in the City of Westminster in London. Although no longer the principal residence of the monarch, it is the ceremonial meeting place of the Accession Council, the office of the Marshal of the Diplomatic Corps, and the London residence of several members of the royal family.
The State Opening of Parliament is a ceremonial event which formally marks the beginning of each session of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. At its core is His Majesty's "gracious speech from the throne", which is read by the monarch but written by HM Government. In the speech the monarch gives notice of forthcoming state visits, before setting out the government's legislative programme for the new parliamentary session. No business of either House of Parliament can proceed until the Sovereign’s speech has been delivered.
Clarence House is a royal residence on The Mall in the City of Westminster, London. It was built in 1825–1827, adjacent to St James's Palace, for the royal Duke of Clarence, the future King William IV.
Kensington Palace is a royal residence set in Kensington Gardens, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London, England. It has been a residence of the British royal family since the 17th century, and is currently the official London residence of the Prince and Princess of Wales, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, the Duke and Duchess of Kent, Prince and Princess Michael of Kent and Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank and their two sons. Kensington Palace is sometimes used as a metonym for the offices of royals who officially reside there.
Somerset House is a large Renaissance complex situated on the south side of the Strand in central London, overlooking the River Thames, just east of Waterloo Bridge. The Georgian era quadrangle was built on the site of a Tudor palace originally belonging to the Duke of Somerset in 1547. The present Somerset House was designed by Sir William Chambers, begun in 1776, and was further extended with Victorian era outer wings to the east and west in 1831 and 1856 respectively. The site of Somerset House stood directly on the River Thames until the Victoria Embankment was built in the late 1860s.
King Ralph is a 1991 American comedy film written and directed by David S. Ward and starring John Goodman, Peter O'Toole, and John Hurt. The film is about an American who becomes the unlikely King of the United Kingdom after an electrical accident wipes out the British Royal Family.
Harriet Elizabeth Georgiana Sutherland-Leveson-Gower,Duchess of Sutherland, styled The Honourable Harriet Howard before her marriage, was an English courtier and abolitionist from the Howard family.
The Court Circular is the official record that lists the engagements carried out by the monarch of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms; the royal family; and appointments to their staff and to the court. It is issued by St James's Palace and printed a day in arrears at the back of The Times, The Daily Telegraph and The Scotsman newspapers. An archive of the circular since 1997 is provided on the British monarchy's website.
Carlton House, sometimes Carlton Palace, was a mansion in Westminster, best known as the town residence of King George IV, particularly during the regency era and his time as prince regent. It faced the south side of Pall Mall, and its gardens abutted St James's Park in the St James's district of London. The location of the house, now replaced by Carlton House Terrace, was a main reason for the creation of John Nash's ceremonial route from St James's to Regent's Park via Regent Street, Portland Place and Park Square: Lower Regent Street and Waterloo Place were originally laid out to form the approach to its front entrance.
York House is a historic wing of St James's Palace, London, built for Frederick, Prince of Wales, on his marriage in 1736. It is in the north-western part of the palace on the site of a former suttling-house (canteen) for the Guards; it overlooks Ambassadors' Court and Cleveland Row to the west of the old Chapel Royal. Prince Frederick occupied it for about a year, until his quarrel with his father drove him from Court.
York House was one of a series of grand mansions that formerly stood on the Strand, the principal route from the City of London to the Palace of Westminster.
The Royal Households of the United Kingdom are the collective departments that support members of the British royal family. Many members of the royal family who undertake public duties have separate households. They vary considerably in size, from the large household that supports the sovereign to the household of the Prince and Princess of Wales, with fewer members.
The Stafford is a five star hotel in St James's Place in London, England. Built in the 17th century, its wine cellars may be the oldest in London. Previously used as private residences, the buildings were opened as a hotel in 1912. Allied soldiers used them as air raid shelters during the Second World War.