It’s easy to associate stately homes with the English countryside but London has its own collection of grand residences. For centuries, aristocrats required impressive townhouses in the capital as a base for the London Season, parliamentary business and close proximity to the royal palaces. If you love history and architecture, here are some remarkable houses you may wish to visit during your London stay.
Apsley House
Apsley House was built in the 1770s (when nearby Hertford Street was also being developed) in the neo-classical style under Robert Adam as the home for Lord Apsley. Subsequently it was home to the Dukes of Wellington. It was originally known as Number 1 London as it was the first grand house you would pass when entering the city from the west. Collection highlights include works by Canova, Velasquez, Rubens, Goya, Bruegel and Titian. It’s also home to the Wellington Museum.
Spencer House
Spencer House was built in the mid-1700s for Lord and Lady Spencer, under the designs of John Vardy and James ‘Athenian’ Stuart. It’s noted for some of the first neo-classical interiors in Europe. Overlooking Green Park, it’s a notably tranquil estate in the heart of London.
Hertford House (home of The Wallace Collection)
Hertford House is a Georgian townhouse, built for the 4th Duke of Manchester in the 1780s. It has been home to the extensive Wallace Collection since 1900, when the art collection was bequeathed to the nation. Highlights include works by Titian, van Dyck, Rembrandt and Delacroix.
Strawberry Hill House
Historian and antiquarian Horace Walpole built Strawberry Hill House in the 1760s to the emerging Gothic Revival style. This iconic London house has notable interiors (pictured) which Walpole intended to be “settings of Gothic ‘gloomth’” for his collections.
Eltham Palace
Eltham Palace is remarkable for both its medieval great hall and it’s Art Deco extension. A royal residence has existed at this location since 1300. It was the childhood home of Henry VIII and during the Tudor years, was used to host Christmas festivities.
