3656 x 2731 px | 31 x 23,1 cm | 12,2 x 9,1 inches | 300dpi
Aufnahmedatum:
2011
Weitere Informationen:
Lancaster House (previously known as York House and Stafford House) is a mansion in the St. James's district in the West End of London. It is close to St. James's Palace and much of the site was once part of the palace complex. This Grade I listed building is now managed by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Construction of the house commenced in 1825 for the Duke of York and Albany, the second son of King George III, and it was initially known as York House, but it was only a shell at his death in 1827. The exterior was mainly designed by Benjamin Dean Wyatt. It is constructed from Bath Stone, in a neo-classical style, being the last great London mansion to use this essentially Georgian style. The building is three floors in height, the State rooms being on the first floor or piano nobile, family living rooms on the ground floor and family bedrooms on the second floor. There is also a basement containing service rooms. The interior was designed by Benjamin Dean Wyatt, Sir Charles Barry and Sir Robert Smirke and was completed in 1840. The house was purchased by and completed for the 2nd Marquess of Stafford (later 1st Duke of Sutherland) and was known as Stafford House for almost a century. It was assessed for rating purposes (i.e. for property taxes) as the most valuable private house in London. The Sutherlands’ liberal politics and love of the arts attracted many distinguished guests, including factory reformer the Earl of Shaftesbury, anti-slavery authoress Harriet Beecher Stowe and Italian revolutionary leader Giuseppe Garibaldi. Almost as influential as the visitors was the décor, which was to set the fashion for London reception rooms for nearly a century. The mainly Louis XIV Style interiors created a stunning backdrop for the Sutherlands’ impressive collection of paintings and objets d’art, much of which can still be seen in the house today.
