Lancaster House

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The central hall and principal staircase of Lancaster House.

A plan of the principal floor in 1827. Only minor alterations have been made to the layout of this storey since then.

Lancaster 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.

Construction of Lancaster House commenced in 1825 for the Duke of York and Albany, the second son of King George III, and was initially known as York House, but it was only a shell at his death. The exterior was mainly designed by Benjamin Dean Wyatt, its interiors were designed by Benjamin Dean Wyatt, Sir Charles Barry and Sir Robert Smirke and was only finally completed in 1840. 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, the ground floor and second floor rooms were used by the family for daily life.

It 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 Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 7th 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 interiors created a stunning backdrop for the Sutherlands’ impressive collection of paintings and objets d’art, many of which can still be seen in the house today.

“I have come from my House to your Palace” Queen Victoria is said to remarked to the Duchess of Sutherland on arriving at Stafford House. With its ornate decoration and the dramatic sweep of the great staircase, the Grand Hall is a magnificent introduction to one of the finest town houses in London. More than a century later, its grandeur remains undimmed and the house is as popular as ever with those who visit it.

In 1912 it was purchased by the Lancastrian soap-maker Sir William Lever, 1st Baronet (later 1st Viscount Leverhulme) who renamed it in honour of his native county of Lancashire and presented it to the nation in the following year. From 1924 until shortly after World War II Lancaster House was the home of the London Museum, but it is now used for government receptions and is closed to the public except on rare open days.

The European Advisory Commission met at Lancaster House in 1944. In 1979 it was the scene of the Lancaster House Agreement, which was the agreement of independence from the United Kingdom of Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe.