Mansion House, London facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mansion House
General information
Architectural style	Palladian
Town or city	London, EC4
Country	United Kingdom
Current tenants	Lord Mayor of London
Construction started	1739
Design and construction
Architect	George Dance the Elder

The Mansion House is the official home of the Lord Mayor of London. It is a very important historic building. It was designed by George Dance the Elder in a style called Palladian. Most of it was built in the 1740s.

The Mansion House is used for many important events in the City of London. These include two big annual dinners. At the Easter dinner, a main speaker is the Foreign Secretary, who talks about international relations. In early June, the Chancellor of the Exchequer gives a speech about the British economy. A famous speech was given here in 1911 by David Lloyd George, which warned Germany before the First World War.

History of the Mansion House

The Mansion House was built between 1739 and 1752. It was designed by George Dance the Elder, who was a surveyor and architect.

Before the Mansion House was built, the area was a market called the Stocks Market. The City of London wanted a proper home for the Lord Mayor. Before this, the Lord Mayor had to stay in different halls around the city. George Dance won a competition to design the building. Building the house was slow because they found springs underground. This meant they had to dig deep and put in strong foundations.

The original building had two unusual roof sections. People nicknamed them the "Mayor's Nest" and "Noah's Ark." Over time, parts of the building were changed. In 1795, the "Noah's Ark" section was taken down. Later, in 1842, the "Mayor's Nest" was also removed. A special entrance for the Lord Mayor was added in 1845. Also, a room was turned into a court where local legal cases were heard until 1999.

How the Mansion House Was Paid For

The way the Mansion House was paid for was quite unusual. In the 1700s, there were rules in England that made it hard for some Christians, called Dissenters, to hold public office. They had to follow certain religious practices of the Church of England.

The City of London Corporation found a clever, but unfair, way to raise money. They made a rule that if someone was chosen to be a Sheriff of the City of London and refused, they would have to pay a large fine. The problem was, Dissenters could not become sheriffs because of the religious rules. So, the City would choose wealthy Dissenters, knowing they couldn't serve. This forced them to pay big fines.

One writer, Samuel Sharpe, said the Mansion House "remains as a monument of the unjust manner in which Dissenters were treated." Another historian, William Edward Hartpole Lecky, called it "a very scandalous form of persecution."

Many Dissenters were fined, and the City collected a lot of money this way. Some people tried to fight these fines in court. It was very difficult and expensive. Finally, in 1767, a man named Evans won a long legal challenge. The highest court, the House of Lords, ruled that the City could not force Dissenters to pay these fines anymore. This ruling helped protect people's rights.

The American author Mark Twain even wrote about this story in his book A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. He described how the City of London used this trick to get £15,000 to build the Mansion House.

Architecture and Design

The Egyptian Hall in 2011

The Mansion House has three main floors above a stone base. The front of the building has a large porch with six tall columns. These columns support a triangular section with a sculpture. This sculpture shows a figure representing the City of London.

The building used to have two tall, unusual sections on the roof, which were later removed. Because the building is on a small piece of land, it looks very big and solid. The main reception room is called the "Egyptian Hall." It got this name because the architect, George Dance, used a special arrangement of columns that was thought to be "Egyptian" in ancient times. There are no actual Egyptian designs in the room. It has twenty spaces for statues.

The Mansion House also used to have its own court. This is because the Lord Mayor is the main judge for the City while in office. There were also holding cells for prisoners. A famous person held here was Sylvia Pankhurst, a women's rights activist in the early 1900s.

Art Collection at Mansion House

The Mansion House is home to an amazing art collection. It has the Harold Samuel Collection of Dutch and Flemish Seventeenth Century Paintings. This collection is considered one of the best of its kind in Britain. It includes 84 paintings by famous artists like Frans Hals, Jan Steen, and Aelbert Cuyp. The Mansion House also has a collection of valuable silver and gold items, including five special ceremonial swords used by the City of London.

Visiting the Mansion House

The Mansion House is not usually open to the public every day. However, you can arrange tours through their office. There are also public tours available on most Tuesdays.

Mansion House Street

Mansion House Street is a short street right in front of the Mansion House. It connects several important streets like Poultry and Queen Victoria Street. It is also above the Bank Underground station.

Other Important City Buildings

The Guildhall is another important building in the City of London. It is also used for many significant City events and functions.

Images for kids

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  An 1837 view showing one of the two high attics, nicknamed the "Mayor's Nest" and "Noah's Ark".

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  An early 19th-century banquet in the Egyptian Hall at the Mansion House.

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  A public session at the Mansion House, around 1840.

See also

In Spanish: Mansion House (Londres) para niños