Lansdowne House facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lansdowne House
The house before its eastern front rooms were demolished
General information
Architectural style	Neo-classical
Location	9 Fitzmaurice Place London, W1
Country	United Kingdom
Coordinates	51°30′30″N 0°8′44″W / 51.50833°N 0.14556°W / 51.50833; -0.14556
Client	John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute; William Petty, 2nd Earl of Shelburne
Design and construction
Architect	Robert Adam
Invalid designation
Reference #:	1066795

Lansdowne House, Berkeley Square and Devonshire House on a map from 1895

A plan of the main floor of the house published in 1765.

Lansdowne House, now known as 9 Fitzmaurice Place, is a historic building in central London, England. It is located near Berkeley Square. For many years, it was called Shelburne House. Later, its name changed to Lansdowne House. This happened when its owning family received a higher noble title in 1784.

This grand house was often rented out to very wealthy families. For example, Lord Rosebery and Hannah de Rothschild lived there from 1878 to 1890. Some of its beautiful 18th-century rooms were later moved to other places. Three British prime ministers once lived here. William Waldorf Astor, 1st Viscount Astor, believed to be America's richest man at the time, also lived here from 1891 to 1893. Harry Gordon Selfridge, who started the famous Selfridges department store, lived there in the 1920s.

The family who owned the house sold it in 1929. This was two years after the death of the 5th Marquess, a very important government minister. In 1931, a new road was built. This meant about half of the house's largest wing had to be taken down. Today, the remaining part is known as 9 Fitzmaurice Place. In 1970, the house was given a special Grade II* listed status. This means it is a very important historic building.

Lansdowne House also inspired another grand building. This was Bingham House in Montreal, Canada. It was built by William Bingham, a close friend of Lord Shelburne. Bingham was America's wealthiest man at that time. Many famous people visited Lansdowne House. These included Benjamin Franklin, Oscar Wilde, and Henry James.

What is Lansdowne House Today?

Today, Lansdowne House is home to the Lansdowne Club. This is a private club located in Mayfair. It also serves as an address for other groups. These include Fitzmaurice House Ltd and the International Wine and Food Society. The Junior League of London also uses this address.

A Look at Lansdowne House's History

Building a Grand Home

The famous architect Robert Adam designed Lansdowne House. It was first meant for John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute. But in 1763, just one year into its construction, he sold it. The new owner was William Petty, 2nd Earl of Shelburne. Both of these men later became Prime Minister. The main building was finished in 1768.

Adam hired a local sculptor named Thomas Carter the Younger. Carter carved the beautiful fireplace decorations based on Adam's designs. Shelburne continued to work with Adam until 1771. This was when Shelburne's wife passed away. Some parts of the house's decoration were still not finished. Other architects, like George Dance the Younger and Robert Smirke, also worked on the house later on.

Ownership and Changes Over Time

From 1763 to 1929, the house belonged to the Petty-FitzMaurice family. They were given the higher noble title of Marquesses of Lansdowne in 1784. In 1931, a big change happened. Half of the house's largest wing, the east wing, was torn down. This was to make way for a new street called Fitzmaurice Place. In return, a new extension was built to the south-west. Since 1935, the remaining part of the house has been home to the Lansdowne Club.

The house once had a large private garden in front. This garden was even bigger than the house itself. It was designed to keep open views for Devonshire House on Piccadilly. This meant that the area up to and including Berkeley Square stayed green and open.

In 2022, a company called Blackstone made a deal. They plan to make Lansdowne House their main office in Europe. Prime Minister Liz Truss said this showed great confidence in the United Kingdom. She called it Europe's top financial center.

Who Lived Here?

Many important people have lived in Lansdowne House. Some owned the house, while others rented it.

Owners and Residents:

• William Petty, 2nd Earl of Shelburne: He later became the 1st Marquess of Lansdowne. He was a British prime minister from 1782 to 1783.

Tenants:

• John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute: He was a British prime minister from 1762 to 1763.
• William Pitt the Younger: He was a British prime minister for two terms (1783–1801 and 1804–1806).
• William Waldorf Astor, 1st Viscount Astor: Many believed he was the richest man in America when he lived here (1891–1893).
• Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery: He was a British Liberal statesman and prime minister (1894–1895).
• Harry Gordon Selfridge: He was the founder of the famous Selfridges department store.

Changes to the House and Its Art

Interior of a drawing room, now installed in the Philadelphia Museum of Art

In the 1930s, the local council decided to build a road. This road would connect Berkeley Square to Curzon Street. To do this, all the garden-facing rooms of Lansdowne House had to be torn down. One of Adam's three drawing rooms was carefully removed. It was then put back together at the Philadelphia Museum of Art in the United States. The Dining Room was moved to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. The front of the house was rebuilt in a slightly different way. About half of the north-west corner was also lost.

On May 1, 1935, the Lansdowne Club officially opened. It was created as a "social, residential and athletic Club." It includes the remaining 18th-century rooms. It also has a large new part built in the Art Deco style from the 1930s.

Many famous artworks from Lansdowne House were also sold. American and British museums bought them. These included statues like the Lansdowne Amazon and the Lansdowne Hercules. The Lansdowne Hermes statue is now at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art in California. Other items were moved to Bowood House. This was the Lansdowne family's country home. Robert Adam had also worked on Bowood House. It still belongs to the family, even though large parts of it were torn down in 1956.

A large office building, 57 Berkeley Square, now stands where the garden used to be. This building still uses the old house's name in its address. What is left of Lansdowne House, along with its 20th-century addition, is now called 9 Fitzmaurice Place. Big renovations to the house began in the year 2000.

Gallery

• 

  The room now in Philadelphia, before 1915

• 

  Part of the ceiling now in Philadelphia

• 

  The Adam room in the Lloyd's Building

• 

  View in 1820

• 

  Entrance view