Yesterday my wife and I attended a luncheon held at the Home House Club in Portman Square, London W1. The lunch was a special 'Ladies Lunch' and was organised by the head of one of the branches of an international fraternal organisation of which I am a member. It is our way of saying 'thank you' to our wives and partners for putting up with us disappearing every so often to attend meetings.
The Club occupies Nos. 19, 20, and 21 Portman Square and was opened as a private members club in 1998.
No. 20 was originally designed in 1773 by James Wyatt for Elizabeth, Countess of Home, but Wyatt was sacked in 1775 before the building was completed, and replaced by Robert Adam. After the death of the Countess the building passed to her young nephew and it was subsequently let to a number of people including the French Ambassador, the Dukes of Atholl and Newcastle, as well as Earl Grey. From 1932 until 1989 it was leased by the Courtauld Institute of Art, but then remained empty until it was bought by Berkley Adam Ltd in 1996. They restored to its former glory and it was opened as a private members club in 1998.
No. 21 was also designed by James Wyatt in 1772, but it was not leased and occupied until William Lock leased it in 1778. He vacated the building in 1781, and subsequently it was occupied by numerous people, including Lord Maynard, Colonel George Clerk, Hamilton Nisbet, Spencer Percival, and George Hanbury. The building ceased being a private residence in 1932, and since then it has served as the home of the Dutch Legation (1930-1952), the headquarters of Rotary International of Great Britain (1953-1958), the Senegalese Embassy (1964-1970), and the drawings collection archive of the Royal Institute of British Architects (1970-2005). The building became part of the Home House Club.
The Club occupies Nos. 19, 20, and 21 Portman Square and was opened as a private members club in 1998.
No. 20 was originally designed in 1773 by James Wyatt for Elizabeth, Countess of Home, but Wyatt was sacked in 1775 before the building was completed, and replaced by Robert Adam. After the death of the Countess the building passed to her young nephew and it was subsequently let to a number of people including the French Ambassador, the Dukes of Atholl and Newcastle, as well as Earl Grey. From 1932 until 1989 it was leased by the Courtauld Institute of Art, but then remained empty until it was bought by Berkley Adam Ltd in 1996. They restored to its former glory and it was opened as a private members club in 1998.
No. 21 was also designed by James Wyatt in 1772, but it was not leased and occupied until William Lock leased it in 1778. He vacated the building in 1781, and subsequently it was occupied by numerous people, including Lord Maynard, Colonel George Clerk, Hamilton Nisbet, Spencer Percival, and George Hanbury. The building ceased being a private residence in 1932, and since then it has served as the home of the Dutch Legation (1930-1952), the headquarters of Rotary International of Great Britain (1953-1958), the Senegalese Embassy (1964-1970), and the drawings collection archive of the Royal Institute of British Architects (1970-2005). The building became part of the Home House Club.
Home House was the home of the Courtauld Institute of Art until its facilities were progressively transferred over to Somerset House where it is today in the late 1980s ...
ReplyDeleteToday they serve drinks where in the 1980s we attended lectures ...
Phil
SoA Shows North (Phil),
ReplyDeleteThanks for the additional information.
All the best,
Bob