Building   

Lauderdale House

Building

Originally built for Richard Martin (Lord Mayor of London) in 1582 with a timber frame. In the early 17th Century it was occupied by Sir Henry Hobart.  Later Mary, Countess of Home extended the house. In 1645 it came to John Maitland, 1st Duke and 2nd Earl of Lauderdale (hence its name) as his wife Anne Home's inheritance. In 1666 it was visited by Charles II and Samuel Pepys, while Nell Gwyn is said to have lived there briefly in 1670. It was later the home of the Lord Mayor of London, Sir William Pritchard.

It was converted to a neoclassical style in 1760, and John Wesley preached here in 1782. For some time it was the home of James Yates, antiquary and Unitarian, who died there in 1871. The house became a convalescent home for St. Bartholomew's hospital in 1872.

The following text comes from Lauderdale House:Lauderdale's last private owner was Sir Sydney Waterlow, to whom it was something of a liability. He leased it for a time to St Bartholomew's Hospital as a convalescent home, but by 1883 the house lay empty. In 1889, Sir Sidney gave the house and grounds to the London County Council "for the enjoyment of Londoners", after which the 29 acres of land became a public park. The house was restored in 1893 to serve for 70 years as a Park tea-room and park-keepers' flats. Sadly, during the course of further renovation in 1963, a fire broke out, destroying the roof and much of the interior of the House.

Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in here to see them

This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
Lauderdale House

Commemorated ati

Lauderdale House

We wouldn't normally include such a plaque but this one is very decorative.

Read More

Other Subjects

London Tree Forum

London Tree Forum

We cannot find anything about this group. There is a site called the Ancient Tree Forum, but it doesn't refer to this tree. The web address www.forestry.gov.uk on the plaque is that of the Forestry...

Group, Gardens / Agriculture

2 memorials
Burney Street Garden Project

Burney Street Garden Project

An offshoot of the Greenwich Society, which has restored previously derelict sites.

Group, Gardens / Agriculture

1 memorial
Lancelot 'Capability' Brown

Lancelot 'Capability' Brown

Landscapte architect. Baptised in Northumberland. The 'Capability' came from his habit of declaring estates to have 'capability' for improvement, rather than being a description of his skills. Nowa...

Person, Gardens / Agriculture

1 memorial
Stenton Covington

Stenton Covington

A prominent local resident living in Gibson's Hill, he donated £3,000 towards the establishment of the Rookery in Streatham. He was also involved in saving Norwood Grove for the public. Stenton Th...

Person, Benefactor, Commerce, Gardens / Agriculture, Liveries & Guilds

2 memorials