Eustace Balfour
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Colonel Eustace James Anthony Balfour (8 June 1854 – 14 February 1911) was a London-based Scottish architect. The brother of one
British Prime Minister The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister advises the sovereign on the exercise of much of the royal prerogative, chairs the Cabinet, and selects its ministers. Modern pri ...
and nephew of another, his career was built on family connections. His mother was the daughter of a Marquess, and his wife
Frances Frances is an English given name or last name of Latin origin. In Latin the meaning of the name Frances is 'from France' or 'the French.' The male version of the name in English is Francis (given name), Francis. The original Franciscus, meaning "F ...
, a noted
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, was the daughter of a Duke. Frances's sister in-law was
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, daughter of the reigning
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 ...
. Balfour's initial work was on English and Scottish country houses, but he won only one major commission in this field. However, his appointment as surveyor of the Grosvenor Estate in London gave him architectural control over much of
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and
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in the 1890s and 1900s, and the opportunity to design many buildings himself. Balfour was a senior officer of the
Volunteer Force The Volunteer Force was a citizen army of part-time rifle, artillery and engineer corps, created as a Social movement, popular movement throughout the British Empire in 1859. Originally highly autonomous, the units of volunteers became increa ...
in London. His outspokenness on military matters was a factor in his appointment as an aide-de-camp to
King Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria and ...
. A fastidious and somewhat withdrawn individual, Balfour succumbed to alcoholism in his fifties. This brought about his early death.


Early life

Balfour was born at
Whittingehame House Whittingehame is a parish with a small village in East Lothian, Scotland, about halfway between Haddington and Dunbar, and near East Linton. The area is on the slopes of the Lammermuir Hills. Whittingehame Tower dates from the 15th century and ...
in East Lothian, the youngest of five sons of
James Maitland Balfour James Maitland Balfour (5 January 1820 – 23 February 1856) was a Scotland, Scottish land-owner and businessman. He made a fortune in the 19th-century railway boom, and inherited a significant portion of his father's great wealth. He was a Cons ...
and his wife Lady Blanche Mary Harriet Gascoyne-Cecil, daughter of
James Gascoyne-Cecil, 2nd Marquess of Salisbury James Brownlow William Gascoyne-Cecil, 2nd Marquess of Salisbury, (born James Brownlow William Cecil, 17 April 1791 – 12 April 1868), styled Viscount Cranborne from birth until 1823, was a British Conservative politician. He held office unde ...
. His paternal grandfather James Balfour was a
nabob A nabob is a conspicuously wealthy man deriving his fortune in the east, especially in India during the 18th century with the privately held East India Company. Etymology ''Nabob'' is an Anglo-Indian term that came to English from Urdu, poss ...
who had made the family's fortune as a contractor supplying the
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in India and became a
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Member of Parliament (MP), while his mother's father was a
Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
cabinet minister in the 1850s. Her brother, Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Lord Salisbury, was three times Prime Minister before being succeeded in 1902 by Eustace's elder brother
Arthur Balfour Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour (; 25 July 184819 March 1930) was a British statesman and Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1902 to 1905. As Foreign Secretary ...
. Eustace Balfour was educated at Harrow and at
Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any ...
, where he graduated in 1873. He then studied architecture under
Basil Champneys Basil Champneys (17 September 1842 – 5 April 1935) was an English architect and author whose most notable buildings include Manchester's John Rylands Library, Somerville College Library (Oxford), Newnham College, Cambridge, Lady Margaret Ha ...
, the designer of
Newnham College, Cambridge Newnham College is a women's constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1871 by a group organising Lectures for Ladies, members of which included philosopher Henry Sidgwick and suffragist campaigner Millicen ...
, before setting up his own practice in 1879, with an office in Addison Road,
North Kensington North Kensington is an area of west and northwest London. It is north of Notting Hill and south of Kensal Green predominately in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and partly in the London Borough of Brent and City of Westminster. The ...
which was also his home until his death. On 12 May 1879 he wed Lady Frances Campbell, the fifth daughter and tenth of twelve children of
George Campbell, 8th Duke of Argyll George John Douglas Campbell, 8th and 1st Duke of Argyll (30 April 1823 – 24 April 1900; styled Marquess of Lorne until 1847), was a Scottish people, Scottish polymath and Liberal Party (UK), Liberal statesman. He made a significant geological ...
. The couple had met at a
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given in London by Lord and Lady Goschen, and married soon afterwards in St John's Presbyterian Church in London. Frances's father was shocked at their haste. Out of respect for Balfour's mother, who had died in 1878, the wedding was modest, with no formal meal and no honeymoon.


Architecture

Balfour's first years of architectural practice consisted of small projects for family and friends. These included the restoration of
Inveraray Castle Inveraray Castle (pronounced or ; Scottish Gaelic ''Caisteal Inbhir Aora'' ) is a country house near Inveraray in the county of Argyll, in western Scotland, on the shore of Loch Fyne, Scotland's longest sea loch. It is one of the earliest ex ...
for his father-in-law the Duke of Argyll, an extension to his brother
Arthur Arthur is a masculine given name of uncertain etymology. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur. A common spelling variant used in many Slavic, Romance, and Germanic languages is Artur. In Spanish and Ital ...
's hunting lodge Strathconan House in
Ross-shire Ross-shire (; ), or the County of Ross, was a county in the Scottish Highlands. It bordered Sutherland to the north and Inverness-shire to the south, as well as having a complex border with Cromartyshire, a county consisting of numerous enc ...
, and the church of St Mary Magdalene in the hamlet of Hatfield Hyde. The church, which is now in
Welwyn Garden City Welwyn Garden City ( ) is a town in Hertfordshire, England, north of London. It was the second Garden city movement, garden city in England (founded 1920) and one of the first New towns in the United Kingdom, new towns (designated 1948). It is ...
, was originally known as Hyde Chapel. Built as a
chapel of ease A chapel of ease (or chapel-of-ease) is a church architecture, church building other than the parish church, built within the bounds of a parish for the attendance of those who cannot reach the parish church conveniently, generally due to trav ...
within the parish of Hatfield for Balfour's uncle the Marquis of Salisbury, it became the parish church of Hatfield Hyde in 1928. In 1885, Balfour began a professional partnership with Hugh Thackeray Turner, which lasted until Balfour's death. Balfour had been a member of the
Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) (also known as Anti-Scrape) is an amenity society founded by William Morris, Philip Webb, and others in 1877 to oppose the Victorian restoration, destructive 'restoration' of ancient bu ...
since his undergraduate days in Cambridge, and Turner was the Society's secretary. Together the two men were engaged to rebuild Ampton Hall in Suffolk, which had been destroyed by fire Their design, in a restrained Jacobean style, was Balfour's only major
country house image:Blenheim - Blenheim Palace - 20210417125239.jpg, 300px, Blenheim Palace - Oxfordshire An English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a Townhou ...
commission. Work was scarce after Ampton's completion in 1889, and in 1890 Balfour applied for the post of surveyor for the
1st Duke of Westminster Hugh Lupus Grosvenor, 1st Duke of Westminster, (13 October 1825 – 22 December 1899), styled Viscount Belgrave between 1831 and 1845, Earl Grosvenor between 1845 and 1869, and known as The Marquess of Westminster between 1869 and 1874, was an ...
's Grosvenor Estate, to succeed Thomas Cundy. He seemed unlikely to be selected, but Frances made a direct approach to the Duke (who was also her uncle), and he got the job. Balfour's social standing appears to have been a significant factor in his appointment. He was the son-in-law of a Duke, nephew of a Marquess, and his wife was the sister-in-law of
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 ...
's 4th daughter
Princess Louise Princess Louise may refer to: People * Louise of Denmark (disambiguation), various princesses * Louise of Prussia (disambiguation), various princesses * Louise of Saxe-Meiningen (disambiguation), various princesses * Princess Louise of Schleswig-H ...
(who had married her oldest brother
John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...
in 1871). Balfour had a strong sense of social class, and Frances Balfour later described the 1st Duke of Westminster as having run the estate "not as today on commercial lines, but more as a Principality". Even so, his brother
Gerald Gerald is a masculine given name derived from the Germanic languages prefix ''ger-'' ("spear") and suffix ''-wald'' ("rule"). Gerald is a Norman French variant of the Germanic name. An Old English equivalent name was Garweald, the likely original ...
's wife Lady Elizabeth Balfour noted that when the surveyor called on the Duke in his professional role he was "never offered a chair and never expected one". The post involved a lot of design work for Balfour, who seems to have been able to take whatever commissions he wanted, often delegating them to Turner. In the 1890s, Balfour and Turner appear to have been the most prolific designers of private houses on the estate, and in 1892 Balfour was made a Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects. Their own work included most of the wholly redeveloped Balfour Place in Mayfair, formerly known as Portugal Street and renamed for the architect. Balfour also supervised projects which were contracted to other designers. The Duke favoured the domestic revival style of architecture, and particularly insisted on red brick for dwelling houses. Balfour, who deplored the previously fashionable
Gothic revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...
ism, laid down strict architectural guidelines, sometimes even redesigning the work of others. Balfour and Turner also designed
Aldford House Aldford House was a grand mansion built on London's Park Lane in 1894–97 for the diamond magnate, Alfred Beit. The architects were the Scottish partnership of Eustace Balfour and Hugh Thackeray Turner. Its style was somewhat Jacobean but ...
on
Park Lane Park Lane is a dual carriageway road in the City of Westminster in Central London. It is part of the London Inner Ring Road and runs from Hyde Park Corner in the south to Marble Arch in the north. It separates Hyde Park, London, Hyde Park to ...
, an "ornate but stunted" free-standing stone mansion for the
diamond magnate This is an annotated list of important diamond business magnates. It is in alphabetical order based on last name. {{incomplete list, date=June 2023 * Barney Barnato (1851–1897), British Randlord and diamond magnate * Alfred Beit (1853–1906), A ...
Alfred Beit Alfred Beit (15 February 1853 – 16 July 1906) was an Anglo-German gold and diamond magnate in South Africa, and a major donor and profiteer of infrastructure development on the African continent. He also donated much money to university ed ...
which was replaced in 1932 by a modernist apartment block designed by Val Myer. Their other most notable work was St Anselm's Church in Davies Street, believed to have been mostly Turner's work, which was regarded as eccentric. Using an
arts and crafts The Arts and Crafts movement was an international trend in the Decorative arts, decorative and fine arts that developed earliest and most fully in the British Isles and subsequently spread across the British Empire and to the rest of Europe and ...
-style blending of influences, it had a plain frontage with a basilican interior, and some gothic tracery. When its demolition was planned in 1938, it was dismissed by H. S. Goodhart-Rendel as "a purely personal record of Thackeray Turner's particular tastes". However, the building was not in fact demolished. Instead, it was dismantled and reconstructed in altered form at Uppingham Avenue in the north-west London suburb of Belmont as the church of St Anslelm Belmont. The parish describes it as "a genuinely recycled building". Balfour held the surveyor's post until 1910, when he was succeeded by Edmund Wimperis. His second decade in the role was less significant than the first, because the death in 1899 of the 1st Duke brought the estate a bill for £600,000 in
death duties International tax law distinguishes between an estate tax and an inheritance tax. An inheritance tax is a tax paid by a person who inherits money or property of a person who has died, whereas an estate tax is a levy on the estate (money and prop ...
(equivalent to £ in ). The resulting financial pressure meant that little rebuilding occurred until 1906, and when it resumed Balfour's influence was diminished. He had little affinity with the hedonistic young Hugh Grosvenor, 2nd Duke (grandson of the 1st), who
Edwin Lutyens Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens ( ; 29 March 1869 – 1 January 1944) was an English architect known for imaginatively adapting traditional architectural styles to the requirements of his era. He designed many English country houses, war memorials ...
and others had persuaded to adopt a less rigid architectural policy.


Volunteer

In 1882, Balfour joined the
Volunteer Force The Volunteer Force was a citizen army of part-time rifle, artillery and engineer corps, created as a Social movement, popular movement throughout the British Empire in 1859. Originally highly autonomous, the units of volunteers became increa ...
in 1882, becoming a Lieutenant in 1883, and Lieutenant-Colonel in command of the
London Scottish Regiment The London Scottish was a Army Reserve (United Kingdom), reserve infantry regiment then a Company (military unit), company of the British Army. In its final incarnation it was A (The London Scottish) Company, the London Regiment (1993), Londo ...
of Volunteers from 1894 to 1902. He began to take a wider interest in defence issues, writing extensively on the subject, such as ''The Conditions and Requirements of the Volunteer Force'' (1886). In July 1899, as the
Second Boer War The Second Boer War (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic and ...
loomed, Balfour offered to raise a thousand men to go and fight, but it was considered too early to begin that effort. His offer to the minister
George Wyndham George Wyndham, PC (29 August 1863 – 8 June 1913) was a British Conservative politician, statesman, man of letters, and one of The Souls. Background and education Wyndham was the elder son of the Honourable Percy Wyndham, third son of G ...
was ignored by the
War Office The War Office has referred to several British government organisations throughout history, all relating to the army. It was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, at ...
, and Balfour reacted angrily, complaining that volunteers were "expected to be fit for service while we are vigorously debarred from seeing any". Eventually 20,000 volunteers were called up and fought in the war. However, Balfour's need to liaise with the 2nd Duke of Westminster, who had just inherited the Grosvenor Estate, prevented him from joining his force when they travelled to South Africa at the end of 1899. He remained in command of the London Scottish until late 1902, when he resigned in protest at financial controls that prevented payments to volunteers if there was an insufficient number of raised troops. On his resignation he was granted the honorary rank of
colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...
on 1 November 1902, with permission to wear the uniform of the corps in retirement. At the end of December 1902, Balfour was awarded the
Volunteer Officers' Decoration The Volunteer Officers' Decoration, post-nominal letters VD, was instituted in 1892 as an award for long and meritorious service by officers of the United Kingdom's Volunteer Force (Great Britain), Volunteer Force. Award of the decoration was di ...
. Despite his differences with government, or possibly because of them, King
Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until Death and state funeral of Edward VII, his death in 1910. The second child ...
appointed Balfour in January 1903 as a military aide-de-camp for Volunteer Forces, with the substantive rank of colonel.


Personal life and family

Eustace and Frances Balfour had five children: * Blanche Elizabeth Campbell Dugdale (1880–1948), a biographer of her uncle the Prime Minister Arthur Balfour, and later a noted
Zionist Zionism is an Ethnic nationalism, ethnocultural nationalist movement that emerged in History of Europe#From revolution to imperialism (1789–1914), Europe in the late 19th century that aimed to establish and maintain a national home for the ...
* Francis Cecil Campbell Balfour (1884–1965), who became a colonial Governor in Sudan in the 1920s * Oswald Herbert Campbell Balfour (1894–1953), Military Secretary to the Governor-General of Canada, 1921–23 * Joan Eleanor Campbell Balfour (died 1939) * Alison Catherine Campbell Balfour (died 3 September 1955) Accounts of their marriage diverge widely. Frances's congenital hip dislocation left her in constant pain, and often irritable. The couple's temperament and interests were opposites, Frances's enthusiasm for politics and intellectual company contrasting with her husband's lifelong passion for shooting and his later interest in the military. Hartley writes that theirs was "not a particularly happy marriage". Knox confirms this view, noting that neither Blanche Dugdale's memoirs nor Frances Balfour's autobiography write much about their relationship with Eustace, and that Frances wrote at length about his brother Arthur whom she "far preferred to Eustace". Author Joan B. Huffman is more cautious, noting that crucial sources are unavailable since Frances destroyed all Eustace's letters to her. However, Huffman records that she did support her husband when his sister Alice repeatedly challenged him over his drinking.


Death

Balfour's drinking problem became serious around 1906, and in 1909 his health began to deteriorate seriously. In December 1910 he returned to Whittingehame, where he died aged 56 at 6 am on 14 February 1911, surrounded by his family. Eustace was the third of the five Balfour brothers to die relatively young, Cecil and
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having both been killed in accidents in the early 1880s. Balfour was buried at Whittingehame, with his parents and grandparents. Frances survived him by 20 years (until 1931), and was buried alongside him.
Rudyard Kipling Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( ; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)''The Times'', (London) 18 January 1936, p. 12. was an English journalist, novelist, poet, and short-story writer. He was born in British Raj, British India, which inspired much ...
, a member like Balfour of the Savile Club in London, described him as "a large, loveable man, and one of the best of talkers".


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Balfour, Eustace 1854 births 1911 deaths Alcohol-related deaths in Scotland Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge Architects from London Eustace Balfour Fellows of the Royal Institute of British Architects London Scottish officers Military personnel from East Lothian People educated at Harrow School People from Haddington, East Lothian People from Kensington Volunteer Force officers