Image credit: West Front © Jarrold Publishing Spencer House
During the Georgian era, there was a boom in residential development in the capital as the wealthy required a place in London for the season to conduct business and attend political and royal functions. This was certainly the case in the building of Hertford Street and at the same time, just a short distance away, a substantial, elegant townhouse was being built for John Spencer on the periphery of Green Park.
The design and use of Spencer House
John Spencer (who later became the 1st Earl Spencer), who had married Georgiana Poyntz just a year previously, commissioned John Vardy to design their London home in 1756. They required a substantial abode to host parties and house their growing art collection.
Vardy was chosen as he had been closely involved with the design of the nearby Horse Guards Parade. However, Spencer found that Vardy’s Palladian influences were growing out of taste so he enlisted James Stuart to complete the design for the first floor rooms. Enthusiastic and inspired by his recent tour of Greece, Stuart’s plans were in the neoclassical style.
The house took ten years to complete and only 19 years later (1785), after the first Earl had died and the second Earl was in residence, the interior was remodelled under the direction of Henry Holland. Holland was a well-respected architect in London (having recently designed Hertford Street, Carlton House and Brooks’s) and his adaptations worked well for the 2nd Earl.
The house remained largely unchanged until the mid-nineteenth century when the ground floor was modernised with the new Victorian style.
In the 1920s, the 7th Earl took the State Rooms back to their original, Georgian appearance.
Over the last century or so, Spencer House has been leased out as residential and commercial accommodation. It’s now open to the public and can be hired for events.
The Painted Room ceiling © Jarrold Publishing Spencer House
The Dining Room © Jarrold Publishing Spencer House
The Palm Room © Jarrold Publishing Spencer House
Getting there
Spencer House is just a ten-minute walk from Hertford Street.