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Nuffield Lodge is a house on
. It is owned by the Sultan of Oman.
Prince Albert Road
Prince Albert Road is a village located in Laingsburg Local Municipality, Western Cape.
History
The village of Prince Albert Road owes its existence to the route chosen by Prime Minister John Molteno, in 1872, for the Cape Government Railways's we ...
, Regent's Park
Regent's Park (officially The Regent's Park) is one of the Royal Parks of London. It occupies in north-west Inner London, administratively split between the City of Westminster and the London Borough of Camden, Borough of Camden (and historical ...
, London, England. It is 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 ...
. Both the house and its gardens fall within Regent's Park, which is Grade I listed on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens #REDIRECT Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England #REDIRECT Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England
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History
The villa was built from 1822 to 1824 as Grove House, and designed by the architectDecimus Burton
Decimus Burton (30 September 1800 – 14 December 1881) was one of the foremost English architects and landscapers of the 19th century. He was the foremost Victorian architect in the Roman revival, Greek revival, Georgian neoclassical and Reg ...
as a bachelor residence for the geologist George Bellas Greenough
George Bellas Greenough FRS FGS (18 January 1778 – 2 April 1855) was a pioneering English geologist. He is best known as a synthesizer of geology rather than as an original researcher.
Trained as a lawyer, he was a talented speaker and hi ...
(1778-1855). On the death of Greenough, the lease passed to Francis Smedley, the High Bailiff of Westminster
A bailiff is a manager, overseer or custodian – a legal officer to whom some degree of authority or jurisdiction is given. There are different kinds, and their offices and scope of duties vary.
Another official sometimes referred to as a '' ...
, and then to his son the author Francis Edward Smedley and following his death in 1864 his cousin, Menella Bute Smedley
Menella Bute Smedley (1820–1877) was a novelist and poet. A relative of Lewis Carroll, she wrote some minor novels and books of poems, including the anonymous, ''The Story of Queen Isabel, and Other Verses'', 1863.
She translated the old German ...
, who had cared for him and acted as his private secretary continued to reside in the property until her death 1877.
The family connection was maintained by Thomas Greer (MP) who occupied the house from Christmas 1878 to his death in 1905. In 1907, the Greer family moved back to Ireland and sold the property by auction to Sigismund Goetze (1866-1939) who painted the interior murals.
In 1952, it was bought by the Nuffield Foundation
The Nuffield Foundation is a charitable trust established in 1943 by William Morris, Lord Nuffield, the founder of Morris Motors Ltd. It aims to improve social well-being by funding research and innovation projects in education and social pol ...
, and renamed Nuffield Lodge. The Nuffield Foundation gave up the lease in 1986, and it became a private residence and reverted to the name Grove House. In 2014, the roof was removed and replaced. It was owned by the Sultan of Oman, Qaboos bin Said
Qaboos bin Said Al Said (, ; 18 November 1940 – 10 January 2020) was Sultan of Oman from 23 July 1970 until his death in 2020. A fifteenth-generation descendant of the founder of the Al Bu Said dynasty, he was the longest-serving leader in t ...
, until his death in January 2020, when he was succeeded by Haitham bin Tariq
Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al Said (; born 11 October 1955) is the List of rulers of Oman, Sultan and Prime Minister of Oman. He acceded to the throne in January 2020 after being named successor by his cousin, Qaboos bin Said, Sultan Qaboos bin ...
.
Design
Nuffield Lodge's stable block was built by Burton c.1824 and was converted into anartist's studio
A studio is a space set aside for creative work of any kind, including art, dance, music and theater.
The word ''studio'' is derived from the , from , from ''studere'', meaning to study or zeal.
Types Art
The studio of any artist, espe ...
for Goetze in 1909 by Sidney Tatchell. It is Grade II listed, and features stucco
Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and ...
ornamentation in its interior. The archway connecting the studio stable block and the Palm house is listed Grade II.
The palm house in the grounds of the lodge is Grade II* listed, and was also designed by Burton. The palm house was designed to form a screen along with the stabling against "unpleasant objects" in the villa's environment. The Historic England
Historic England (officially the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England) is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. It is tasked with prot ...
heritage listing describes the palm house as "one of Burton's first experiments in the structural use of iron and glass".
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nuffield Lodge Buildings and structures in Regent's Park Decimus Burton buildings Grade I listed buildings in the City of Westminster Grade II listed buildings in the City of Westminster Grade II* listed buildings in the City of Westminster Grade I listed houses in London Houses completed in 1824 Houses in the City of Westminster Regency architecture in Westminster