Douglas House is a Grade II* listed early 18th-century Queen Anne-style house in Petersham in the

London Borough of Richmond upon Thames The London Borough of Richmond upon Thames () in southwest London forms part of Outer London and is the only London borough on both sides of the River Thames. It was created in 1965 when three smaller council areas amalgamated under the London ...

. It is now the site of the German School London (german: Deutsche Schule London; DSL).

Location

Douglas House is located on the north side of ''Petersham Avenue'' leading west from the A307, Petersham Road to

Ham House Ham House is a 17th-century house set in formal gardens on the bank of the River Thames in Ham, south of Richmond in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. The original house was completed in 1610 by Thomas Vavasour, an Elizabethan cou ...

. The grounds of the house front the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the ...

to the north. Ham Polo Club is situated to the west.

History

The house was originally known as ''Hall Place'' or ''Petersham Place'' until acquiring its present name in the 1890s. Some sources state that the house was built in about 1680 but the

manorial roll A manorial roll or court roll is the roll or record kept of the activities of a manorial court, in particular containing entries relating to the rents and holdings, deaths, alienations, and successions of the customary tenants or copyholders."court ...

s that record of sale of the plot of land on which it stands during the late 17th century do not mention a building until 2 May 1717 when they record the sale of land and "brick messuage etc. built by Nathaniel Halhead" to Lord Carlton. After his death in 1725, Carlton's nephew,

Charles Douglas, 3rd Duke of Queensberry Charles Douglas, 3rd Duke of Queensberry, 2nd Duke of Dover, (24 November 169822 October 1778) was a Scottish nobleman, extensive landowner, Privy Counsellor and Vice Admiral of Scotland. Life He was born in Queensberry House in Edinburgh on ...

inherited the house and, with his wife, Catherine "Kitty" Hyde, the couple played host to literary and artistic figures of the time including

John Gay John Gay (30 June 1685 – 4 December 1732) was an English poet and dramatist and member of the Scriblerus Club. He is best remembered for '' The Beggar's Opera'' (1728), a ballad opera. The characters, including Captain Macheath and Polly Pe ...

who is reputed to have written and rehearsed the '' Beggar's Opera'' in 1728 whilst at the riverside summerhouse in the grounds. Their children having predeceased them, the house passed to their niece, Lady Jane Scott, following the death of the Duchess in 1777 and Duke in 1778. The house subsequently passed to Lady Jane's niece, Lady Frances Scott, daughter of

Francis Scott, Earl of Dalkeith Francis Scott, Earl of Dalkeith (19 February 1721 – 1 April 1750) was a Scottish nobleman. He was the eldest child of Francis Scott, 2nd Duke of Buccleuch by his first wife Jane, daughter of James Douglas, 2nd Duke of Queensberry. In ...

; she became the second wife of

Archibald Douglas, 1st Baron Douglas Archibald James Edward Douglas, 1st Baron Douglas (10 July 1748 – 26 December 1827), was a Scottish politician. Early life He was born Archibald James Edward Stewart, in Paris,G.E. Cokayne; with Vicary Gibbs, H.A. Doubleday, Geoffrey H. Wh ...

. The house then passed in 1817 to their daughter, Lady Caroline Lucy and her husband Vice Admiral Sir George Scott. Although the couple lived at the house, Caroline made her brother, Rev. James Douglas, 4th Baron Douglas, part owner in 1827. Following both their deaths in April 1857, it was their younger sister, Mary Sidney Douglas, who inherited. The house then passed through her to the Drummond-Moray family. From the late 19th century the house was home to George Tournay Biddulph (1844–1929). A son of Robert Biddulph MP, he was a banker with Cocks, Biddulph & Co. Biddulph was appointed one of the Dysart Trustees on the death of Algernon Gray Tollemache in 1891 and helped oversee the management of the Tollemache estates, both locally in Petersham and

Ham Ham is pork from a leg cut that has been preserved by wet or dry curing, with or without smoking."Bacon: Bacon and Ham Curing" in ''Chambers's Encyclopædia''. London: George Newnes, 1961, Vol. 2, p. 39. As a processed meat, the term " ...

and elsewhere. The house, stables and cottage were

Grade II listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Ire ...

in 1950 and the house's designation upgraded to Grade II* in 1983. The

Federal Republic of Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

bought Douglas House and grounds in 1969 and built a school around it. The German School London was then founded in 1971. New buildings were erected in the grounds, but the original house and stables have been preserved. Douglas House, The German School, Petersham

Douglas House, The German School, Petersham

References

{{LB Richmond 1700s establishments in England Grade II* listed houses in London Grade II* listed buildings in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames History of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames Houses completed in the 18th century Houses in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames Petersham, London Queen Anne architecture in the United Kingdom