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53-555: Lansdowne House now 9 Fitzmaurice Place is the remaining part of an aristocratic English town house building to the south of Berkeley Square in central London, England. The initial name was for two decades Shelburne House, then its title matched its owning family's elevation to a higher peerage in 1784. In the mid to late 19th century, it was frequently let, as a whole, to families of very high wealth or income, such as Lord Rosebery and Hannah de Rothschild of Mentmore Towers from 1878 to 1890. Some of its 18th-century interiors, among

106-521: A piano nobile , where the entrance hall was the only room that rose through two storeys. Inconspicuous pairs of staircases are tucked into modest sites at either side, for the upstairs was strictly private. Enfilades of interconnecting rooms, of which the largest space is devoted to the library, flank central halls, adjusting the traditions of the symmetrical Baroque state apartments , a design which did not lend itself to large gatherings. A few years later architects such as Matthew Brettingham pioneered

159-466: A classical mansion built by Hugh May , having been purchased in 1696 by William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Devonshire , was renamed "Devonshire House". As part of the agreement, John Berkeley, 3rd Baron Berkeley of Stratton (c. 1663–1697) undertook not to build on that part of the land he retained which lay directly behind the house to the north, so preserving the Duke's view. This covenant was still in force when

212-417: A glass handrail and newel posts. Burton amalgamated several of the principal rooms; he created a vast heavily gilded ballroom from two former drawing rooms and often created double height rooms at the expense of the bedrooms above, causing the house to become even more of a place for display and entertaining rather than for living. Devonshire House was the setting for the brilliant social and political life of

265-719: A modified form at the front of the reduced house; about half of the north-west corner has also been lost. On 1 May 1935, the Lansdowne Club opened as a 'social, residential and athletic Club for members of social standing...'. It comprises the remaining 18th-century rooms plus a large 1930s extension in the Art Deco style. Many works of art, such as the Lansdowne Amazon and the Lansdowne Hercules , were also bought by American and British museums. The Lansdowne Hermes resides at

318-452: A more compact design, with a suite of connecting reception rooms circling a central top-lit stair hall, which allowed guests to "circulate". Greeted at the head of the stairs, they then flowed in a convenient circuit, rather than retracing their steps. This design was first exemplified by the now-demolished Norfolk House completed in 1756. Therefore, it seems that Devonshire House was old-fashioned and unsuited to its intended use almost from

371-514: A room 40 ft long and including amongst its treasures Claude Lorraine 's Liber Veritatis , his record in sketches of a lifetime of painting. In the Duke's sitting room a glass case over the chimneypiece contained the best of his collection of engraved gems and Renaissance and Baroque medallions. Such a prominent commission could hardly fail to be included in Vitruvius Britannicus . The plan of Devonshire House defines it as one of

424-446: A street-widening scheme. Just a few survive, but in corporate or state ownership. Marlborough House passed to the crown in the 19th century. Apsley House remains a functioning possession of the Dukes of Wellington, but is mostly now a public museum on the edge of a busy roundabout, its gardens long gone (but not built over), with the family occupying the uppermost floor only. Spencer House

477-460: A vandal, but personally I think the place is an eyesore." In 1924-1926 Holland, Hannen & Cubitts built a new office building on the site, fronting directly onto Piccadilly, also known as "Devonshire House". The building became the UK headquarters of the automobile manufacturer Citroën , with showrooms occupying the lower three floors. Citroën remained the chief occupant of the building until 1936. It

530-468: Is left of the house, with a 20th-century extension, is now called 9, Fitzmaurice Place . Extensive renovations began in 2000. Townhouse (Great Britain) British property developers and estate agents often market new buildings as townhouses, following the North American usage of the term , to aggrandise modest dwellings and to avoid the negative connotation of cheap terraced housing built in

583-400: The 5th Marquess , a prominent government frontbencher (cabinet minister) . The local authority had built an approach road in 1931 which saw the loss of approximately half of the rooms of its greater wing; it is today one of two buildings which open onto Fitzmaurice Place but is known as 9 Fitzmaurice Place. The surviving extent was granted Grade II* Listed Building status in 1970. The house

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636-418: The 9th Duke was the first of his family to suffer death duties , which amounted to over £500,000 (£18 million). Additionally, he inherited the debts of the 7th Duke . This double burden prompted the sale of many of the family's valuables, including books printed by William Caxton , many 1st editions of Shakespeare , and Devonshire House itself with its even more valuable three acres of gardens. The sale

689-672: The First World War , when the scarcity and greater expense of domestic servants made living on a grand scale impractical. The following examples, most of which are now demolished, are comparable to the Parisian hôtel particulier : Whilst most English examples of the townhouse occur in London, provincial cities also contain some historical examples, for example Bampfylde House (destroyed in WW II) in Exeter,

742-668: The London Charterhouse just outside of the northern wall of the City of London, re-named "Howard House". In the Middle Ages , the London residences of the nobility were generally situated within the walls or boundary of the City of London , often known as "Inns", as the French equivalents are termed hôtel . For example, Lincoln's Inn was the town house of the 3rd Earl of Lincoln , and Gray's Inn

795-631: The Victorian era to accommodate workers. The aristocratic pedigree of terraced housing, for example as survives in St James's Square in Westminster, is widely forgotten. In concept, the aristocratic townhouse is comparable to the hôtel particulier , which notably housed the French nobleman in Paris , as well as to the urban domus of the nobiles of Ancient Rome . Historically, a town house (later townhouse)

848-562: The 18th and 19th centuries. Following a fire in 1733 it was rebuilt by William Cavendish, 3rd Duke of Devonshire , in the Palladian style, to designs by William Kent . Completed circa 1740, it stood empty after the First World War and was demolished in 1924. Many of Britain's great noblemen maintained large London houses that bore their names. As a ducal house (only in mainland Europe were such houses referred to as palaces), Devonshire House

901-705: The 1930s, the Metropolitan Borough of Westminster Council decided to build a road from Berkeley Square to Curzon Street , which required the demolition of all the garden front rooms of Lansdowne House. One of Adam's three drawing rooms was removed and installed at the Philadelphia Museum of Art , while the Dining Room went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. The façade was rebuilt in

954-507: The 19th century, so mansions in these areas, such as Holland House , cannot be considered as true historical townhouses. Bishops also had London residences, generally termed palaces , listed below. The greatest residence on the Strand was the Savoy Palace , residence of John of Gaunt , Duke of Lancaster, the richest man in the kingdom in his age and the father of King Henry IV. His chief seat

1007-633: The Berkeley land was developed after 1730, and the gardens of Berkeley Square represent the northern termination of that undeveloped strip, combined in the south with the gardens of Lansdowne House . On 16 October 1733, whilst undergoing refurbishment, the former Berkeley House was completely destroyed by fire, despite firefighting efforts by the Regiment of Guards , whose barracks were nearby, led by Willem van Keppel, 2nd Earl of Albemarle , and by other local troops led by Frederick, Prince of Wales . The cause

1060-525: The International Wine and Food Society which may meet here and The Junior League of London. It was designed by Robert Adam as a house for John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute but in 1763 he sold it (one year into its building) to William Petty, 2nd Earl of Shelburne (both men became Prime Minister ); the structure was finished in 1768. Adam commissioned the local sculptor Thomas Carter the Younger to carve

1113-456: The Palladian style and considered the epitome of fashion and sophistication. Chiswick House later came, with other estates, into the possession of the Dukes of Devonshire through the marriage of the 4th Duke to Lady Charlotte Boyle , daughter and heiress of Lord Burlington. In typical Palladian style, Devonshire House consisted of a corps de logis flanked by service wings . The severity of

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1166-579: The Santa Barbara Museum of Art in California. Other objects moved to Bowood House , the Lansdowne country house, where Adam had also worked, which remains in the family, though large parts of it were demolished in 1956. A large office block, 57 Berkeley Square, with classical fronts and surrounding roads, occupies what was the garden. This still uses as line of its address the name of the old house. What

1219-520: The Square's article. In 2022, Blackstone finalized an agreement to redevelop Lansdowne House (the namesake office block at 57 Berkeley Square, opposite the Lansdowne Club; see dispersal of name below) as its European headquarters. Prime Minister Liz Truss called the agreement "a resounding vote of confidence in the United Kingdom as Europe’s leading financial centre." Owner, resident:- Tenants:- In

1272-576: The auctioneer Lord Dalmeny as being of special interest and value: "You can't buy them because they are all in listed buildings now. It's like being able to commission Rubens to paint your ceiling." Most of the great detached houses of noblemen which existed in the West End of London, where even the grandest persons often lived in terraced houses , including Devonshire House, Norfolk House and Chesterfield House , are today numbered amongst England's thousands of lost houses; Lansdowne House lost its front to

1325-592: The ball have illustrated countless books on the social history of the late Victorian era. During World War I Devonshire House was used by the Red Cross , including for dealing with post. Gertrude Bacon was later in charge of this operation, and Rotha Lintorn-Orman served as its commandant, which put her in charge of training all ambulance drivers for the British Red Cross. After the war, many aristocratic families gave up their London houses and Devonshire House

1378-456: The best in London, were taken elsewhere. It was at different times leased by three 19th century British prime ministers , and William Waldorf Astor, 1st Viscount Astor of Cliveden House , widely believed to be the richest man in America at the time of his tenancy (1891–1893) and also by Harry Gordon Selfridge in the 1920s. Landsdowne's heirs sold the property in 1929, two years after the death of

1431-509: The chimney-pieces of his design. Shelburne retained Adam until 1771, when his wife died, with parts of the decoration still incomplete. George Dance the Younger (in the 1790s of George III's reign) and Robert Smirke (at the end of his associated Regency) worked on the house. From 1763 to 1929, it belonged to the seniormost branch of the Petty-FitzMaurice family, elevated from 1784 to a high peerage, as Marquesses of Lansdowne . In 1931,

1484-607: The circle around William Cavendish, 5th Duke of Devonshire and his duchess, Lady Georgiana Spencer , Whig supporters of Charles James Fox . The grand house was also the site for the much celebrated Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee with a lavish fancy dress ball , known as the Devonshire House Ball of 1897 . The guests, including Albert Edward, Prince of Wales and the Princess of Wales , were dressed as historical portraits come to life. The many portrait photographs taken at

1537-454: The country, while from 1722 his London house, Norfolk House , was a terraced house in St James's Square , albeit one over 100 feet (30 metres) wide. Anciently the Dukes of Norfolk also had a townhouse, more properly a ducal palace, in the City of Norwich, the capital of the County of Norfolk, which was greatly enlarged by Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk (d.1572), whose London townhouse was then

1590-712: The county capital of Devon, the townhouse of Baron Poltimore of the Bampfylde family, whose main country seat was Poltimore House in Devon. Also in Exeter was Bedford House, also demolished, the town residence of the Duke of Bedford who resided principally at Woburn Abbey in Bedfordshire but required a base in the West Country from which to administer his vast estates there. Georgian Dublin consisted of five Georgian squares, which contained

1643-457: The design - three storeys in eleven bays - caused one contemporary critic to liken the mansion to a warehouse , and a modern biographer of Kent to remark on its "plain severity". However, the curiously flat exterior concealed Kent's sumptuous interiors which housed a large part of the Devonshire art collection, considered one of the finest in the United Kingdom, and a renowned library, housed in

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1696-406: The earliest of the great 18th-century town houses , then designed identically to grand country houses . Its purpose, too, was identical, to display wealth and consequently power. Thus a great town house, by its large size and design, accentuated its owner's power by its contrast with the monotony of the smaller terraced houses surrounding it. At Devonshire House, Kent's exterior stairs led up to

1749-735: 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". Its front private garden exceeded its building's footprint but was subject to another's restrictive covenants . Its main front lay further forward and was a garden front to this green expanse (between Berkeley Square and Devonshire House's gardens). This conservation guaranteed for Devonshire House on Piccadilly open aspects (greenery-covered land save for discreet fences/railings) up to and including all of Berkeley Square . These reasons are set out in

1802-485: The fashion. It was not long before the more dedicated and wealthy hosts began to add a ballroom to their town houses ; the more wealthy still forsook their old-fashionedly proportioned town houses in favour of new and vast palaces designed purely for entertaining. The Duke of Devonshire, an owner of vast estates in Derbyshire and elsewhere, belonged to the latter category. Thus the fire at Devonshire House in 1733 provided

1855-399: The ground floor through the new portico. Hitherto the ground floor had contained only secondary rooms and in 18th century fashion had been the domain of servants. The new staircase conveyed guests directly to the piano nobile , from a low entrance hall, in a newly created recess formed by creating a convex bow at the centre of the rear garden facade. Known as the "Crystal Staircase", it had

1908-490: The house, in compensation seeing its extension built to the south-west, saw half of its greater original wing, the east wing, demolished to allow the street Fitzmaurice Place to be built. Since 1935, the residue accommodates the Lansdowne Club . Winston Churchill commented that in Victorian and Edwardian London, "glittering parties at Lansdowne House, Devonshire House or Stafford House ( Lancaster House ) comprised all

1961-430: The moment of its completion. Thus from the late 18th century its interiors were vastly altered. Alterations were made to Devonshire House by the architect James Wyatt , over the long period 1776–90, and later by Decimus Burton , who in 1843 constructed a new portico, entrance hall and grand staircase for the 6th Duke. At that time the external double staircase was swept away, allowing for formal entrance to be made into

2014-488: The provincial city of the county in which their country estate was located, was required for attendance on the royal court, attendance in Parliament, for the transaction of legal business and business in general. From the 18th century, landowners and their servants would move to a townhouse during the social season when balls and other society gatherings took place. From the 18th century, most townhouses were terraced ; it

2067-406: The south side of Piccadilly, to form an entrance to Green Park. The wine cellar is now the ticket office of Green Park Underground station . Other architectural salvage included furniture, doorways and mantelpieces which were relocated to Chatsworth. Some of these stored items were auctioned by Sotheby's on 5–7 October 2010, including five William Kent chimneypieces from Devonshire House described by

2120-503: The townhouses of prominent peers. The squares were Merrion Square , St Stephen's Green , Fitzwilliam Square , Ruthland Square (now called Parnell Square ) and Mountjoy Square . Many of the townhouses in these squares are now offices while some have been demolished. Devonshire House Devonshire House in Piccadilly , was the London townhouse of the Dukes of Devonshire during

2173-435: The unforeseen opportunity to build one such palace during the height of the fashion. The 3rd Duke chose the fashionable architect William Kent , for whom this was a first commission for a London house. It was built between 1734 and about 1740. Kent was the protégé of the immensely cultivated 3rd Earl of Burlington and had worked on his Chiswick House , built in 1729, and also at Holkham Hall , completed circa 1741, both in

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2226-629: Was Bolingbroke Castle in Lincolnshire. The Strand had the advantage of frontage to the River Thames , which gave the nobles their own private landing places, as had the royal palaces of Whitehall and Westminster and further out from the City Greenwich and Hampton Court. The next fashion was to move still further westwards to St James's , to be near the Tudor royal court. In the 18th century, Covent Garden

2279-502: Was a manor held by the 1st Baron Grey de Wilton . At that time the Tower of London , within the City, was still in use as a royal palace. They gradually spread onto the Strand , the main ceremonial thoroughfare from the City to the Palace of Westminster , where parliamentary and court business were transacted. Areas such as Kensington and Hampstead were countryside hamlets outside London until

2332-478: Was also the headquarters of The Rootes Group until the 1960s. During World War II it was occupied by the headquarters of the War Damage Commission . Some of the paintings and furniture from Devonshire House survive at the Duke's principal seat, Chatsworth House in Derbyshire. The wrought-iron entrance gates, between piers with rusticated quoins and topped with seated sphinxes , have been re-erected on

2385-695: Was also the inspiration for Bingham House in Montreal, built by Lord Shelburne 's great friend William Bingham in 1821, who was then the wealthiest man in North America and an associate of Alexander Hamilton . Notable guests have included Benjamin Franklin , Oscar Wilde , Henry James , and the Comte de Mirabeau , among others. It houses the Lansdowne Club in Mayfair . It co-serves as an address of Fitzmaurice House Ltd,

2438-445: Was attributed to careless labourers. Ironically, the Duke's former London residence, Old Devonshire House , at 48 Boswell Street, Bloomsbury , survived both its successors until The Blitz during World War II . During the 18th century forms of entertainment began to change and large receptions came into fashion, often taking the form of concerts and balls. Initially, hosts hired one of the many new assembly rooms built to indulge

2491-513: Was built between 1665 and 1673 and at a cost of over £30,000, by John Berkeley, 1st Baron Berkeley of Stratton , of Bruton Priory in Somerset, following his return from service as Viceroy of Ireland . The site is memorialised today by Berkeley Square , Berkeley Street, Stratton Street and Bruton Street . The house was later occupied by Barbara Villiers, Duchess of Cleveland , one of the celebrated mistresses of King Charles II . Berkeley House,

2544-456: Was deserted in 1919. The demolition was mentioned nostalgically several times in literature and caused Virginia Woolf 's Clarissa Dalloway to think, as she passed down Piccadilly, of "Devonshire House without its gilt leopards", a reference to the house's gilded gates. It also inspired Siegfried Sassoon 's "Monody on the Demolition of Devonshire House". The reason for the abandonment was that

2597-558: Was developed by the Duke of Bedford on his Bedford Estate , and Mayfair by the Grosvenor family on their Grosvenor Estate . The final fashion before the modern era was for a residence on the former marsh-land of Belgravia , on the southern part of the Grosvenor Estate, developed after the establishment of Mayfair by the Duke of Westminster . Many aristocratic townhouses were demolished or ceased to be used for residential purposes after

2650-434: Was finalised in 1920 at a price of £750,000 (equivalent to £27,038,808 in 2023) and the house was demolished. The two purchasers were Shurmer Sibthorpe and Lawrence Harrison, wealthy industrialists, who built on the site a hotel and block of flats. When told that the proposed demolition was an act of vandalism, Sibthorpe, echoing the building's 18th-century critics, replied: "Archaeologists have gathered round me and say I am

2703-426: Was one of the largest and grandest, ranking alongside Burlington House , Montague House , Lansdowne House , Londonderry House , Northumberland House , and Norfolk House . All of these have long been demolished, except Burlington and Lansdowne, both of which have been substantially altered. Today the site is occupied by a namesake modern office building. Devonshire House occupied the site of Berkeley House, which

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2756-404: Was one of the successes of Georgian architecture to persuade the rich to buy terraced houses, especially if they were in a garden square . Only a small minority of them, generally the largest, were detached; even aristocrats whose country houses had grounds of hundreds or thousands of acres often lived in terraced houses in town. For example, the Duke of Norfolk was seated at Arundel Castle in

2809-499: Was the city residence of a noble or wealthy family, who would own one or more country houses, generally manor houses , in which they lived for much of the year and from the estates surrounding which they derived much of their wealth and political power. Many of the Inns of Court in London served this function; for example, Gray's Inn was the London townhouse of Reginald de Grey, 1st Baron Grey de Wilton (d. 1308). A dwelling in London, or in

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