Cambridge House is a
Grade I listed
In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...
former
townhouse
A townhouse, townhome, town house, or town home, is a type of Terraced house, terraced housing. A modern townhouse is often one with a small footprint on multiple floors. In a different British usage, the term originally referred to any type o ...
in
central London
Central London is the innermost part of London, in England, spanning the City of London and several boroughs. Over time, a number of definitions have been used to define the scope of Central London for statistics, urban planning and local gove ...
, England. It sits on the northern side of
Piccadilly
Piccadilly () is a road in the City of Westminster, London, England, to the south of Mayfair, between Hyde Park Corner in the west and Piccadilly Circus in the east. It is part of the A4 road (England), A4 road that connects central London to ...
at number 94, in the fashionable district of
Mayfair
Mayfair is an area of Westminster, London, England, in the City of Westminster. It is in Central London and part of the West End. It is between Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Park Lane and one of the most expensive districts ...
. , the property is being converted into a luxury hotel and seven residences.
The current name of the house comes from one of its former owners,
Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge (1774–1850), the seventh son of King
George III
George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland, Ireland from 25 October 1760 until his death in 1820. The Acts of Union 1800 unified Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and ...
, but it was originally known as Egremont House and then Cholmondeley House. From about 1865 to 1999, it was the home of the
Naval and Military Club and was known colloquially as the In and Out Club, due to its prominently signposted one-way carriage drive.
Early history
The house, situated in the fashionable parish of
St George's, Hanover Square
St George's, Hanover Square, is an Church of England, Anglican church, the parish church of Mayfair in the City of Westminster, central London, built in the early eighteenth century as part of a project to build fifty new churches around London ...
,
Westminster
Westminster is the main settlement of the City of Westminster in Central London, Central London, England. It extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street and has many famous landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Buckingham Palace, ...
, was built in 1756–1761 by
Charles Wyndham, 2nd Earl of Egremont (1710–1763), of
Orchard Wyndham in Somerset and of
Petworth House in Sussex,
Secretary of State for the Southern Department
The secretary of state for the Southern Department was a position in the Cabinet (government), cabinet of the government of the Kingdom of Great Britain up to 1782, when the Southern Department (Great Britain), Southern Department became the H ...
from 1761 to 1763, and was thus first known as Egremont House. The building is in the late
Palladian
Palladian architecture is a European architectural style derived from the work of the Venetian architect Andrea Palladio (1508–1580). What is today recognised as Palladian architecture evolved from his concepts of symmetry, perspective and ...
style, to the design of the architect
Matthew Brettingham
Matthew Brettingham (1699 – 19 August 1769), sometimes called Matthew Brettingham the Elder, was an English architect who supervised the construction of Holkham Hall, and became one of the best-known architects of his generation, despi ...
. It has three main storeys plus basement and attics, and is seven bays wide. As is usual in a London mansion of the period, the first floor (''
piano nobile
( Italian for "noble floor" or "noble level", also sometimes referred to by the corresponding French term, ) is the architectural term for the principal floor of a '' palazzo''. This floor contains the main reception and bedrooms of the house ...
'', "second floor" in American English) is the principal floor, containing a circuit of reception rooms. This floor has the highest ceilings and its status is emphasised externally by a
Venetian window in the centre.
The house changed hands several times. For several years in the 1820s, it was occupied by
George Cholmondeley, 1st Marquess of Cholmondeley, and was known as Cholmondeley House. From 1829 to 1850, it was the London residence of
Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge (1774–1850), and became known as Cambridge House. Due to his royal status, that name has persisted. As
Queen Victoria
Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...
left the house after visiting her dying uncle Adolphus,
Robert Pate hit her on the head with his cane.
After the duke's death in 1850, the house was purchased by
Henry Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston
Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston (20 October 1784 – 18 October 1865), known as Lord Palmerston, was a British statesman and politician who served as prime minister of the United Kingdom from 1855 to 1858 and from 1859 to 1865. A m ...
, who was
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister Advice (constitutional law), advises the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, sovereign on the exercise of much of the Royal prerogative ...
for most of the decade between 1855 and 1865. It was his
London townhouse and the site of many splendid social and political gatherings. After Palmerston's death in 1865 at
Brocket Hall
Brocket Hall is a Neoclassical architecture, neo-classical English country house, country house set in a large park at the western side of the urban area of Welwyn Garden City in Hertfordshire, England. The estate is equipped with two golf cour ...
in
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and one of the home counties. It borders Bedfordshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Essex to the east, Greater London to the ...
, his body was taken to Cambridge House, whence his funeral procession departed to
Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...
.
Later that year, Cambridge House was sold to the
Naval and Military Club, which had outgrown its previous headquarters. The club came to be known as the "In and Out", from the prominent traffic-directing signs on its entrance and exit gates. Members included
Lawrence of Arabia and
Ian Fleming
Ian Lancaster Fleming (28 May 1908 – 12 August 1964) was a British writer, best known for his postwar ''James Bond'' series of spy novels. Fleming came from a wealthy family connected to the merchant bank Robert Fleming & Co., and his ...
.
Recent history
In 1999, the Naval and Military Club moved to new premises, having sold Cambridge House in 1996 to entrepreneur
Simon Halabi
Bassam Simon Halabi ( born August 1958) is a Syrian-born British businessman and property developer.
His wealth derived initially from his father, who was a successful businessman in Syria and backed his son in his early ventures. Embarking on ...
for £50 million. Halabi planned to convert the property into a private members' club and hotel, part of his
Mentmore Towers
Mentmore Towers, historically known simply as "Mentmore", is a 19th-century English country house built between 1852 and 1854 for the Rothschild family in the village of Mentmore in Buckinghamshire. Sir Joseph Paxton and his son-in-law, George ...
project, and to build a swimming pool and squash courts underneath the forecourt of the house. However, the building remained vacant after 1999, and it fell into a state of disrepair. Plaster was falling off the ceiling in the first floor rooms, and many floorboards had been pulled up. In 2009, Halabi's companies went into bankruptcy.
In June 2010, Cambridge House and its adjoining buildings, 90–93 Piccadilly (and 42 Half Moon Street), 95 Piccadilly (the former American Club) and 12 White Horse Street (the rear section being vacant land), as well as 96–100 Piccadilly (on the other side of White Horse Street), were all offered for sale through property brokers
Jones Lang Lasalle
Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated (JLL) is a global real estate services company, founded in the United Kingdom with offices in 80 countries. The company also provides investment management services worldwide, including services to institutional an ...
, collectively referred to as the Piccadilly Estate, for in excess of £150m. In June 2011, the site was acquired by
David and Simon Reuben for a reported £130m through their investment company, Aldersgate. In October 2012, applications were submitted for a full refurbishment into private homes (Numbers 94 and 95) and residential apartments (Numbers 90–93 and 42).
In April 2013, David and Simon Reuben received approval to develop the property into a {{convert, 60,600, ft2, m2, order=flip single home. It would likely have become the UK's most expensive home, estimated to be worth about £250 million after renovation. According to Bloomberg News, "the planning application for Number 94 was approved after the two investors offered to contribute £3.85 million to the construction of
affordable housing
Affordable housing is housing which is deemed affordable to those with a household income at or below the median, as rated by the national government or a local government by a recognized housing affordability index. Most of the literature on ...
in the borough."
However, that development plan subsequently changed, and a new plan was conceived to convert the property into the "Cambridge House Hotel and Residences", with a five-star hotel and seven serviced residences. Work on the project is being carried out by
PDP London.
Cambridge House Hotel and Residences
/ref>
References
{{Reflist, 30em
*Pearce, David (1986). ''London's Mansions''. {{ISBN, 0-7134-8702-X
External links
{{Commons category
Reuben Brothers – real estate holdings
Reuben Brothers – timeline of purchases and developments
Country Life Picture Library – interior photos
{{Coord, 51.5058, -0.1452, type:landmark, display=title
{{Royal palaces in the United Kingdom
{{Authority control
1761 establishments in England
Houses completed in 1761
Houses in the City of Westminster
Grade I listed houses in London
Grade I listed buildings in the City of Westminster
Prime ministerial homes in the United Kingdom
David and Simon Reuben
Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston
Townhouses in the United Kingdom
Wyndham family residences