Montagu House, Whitehall

Montagu House was the name of two mansions in Whitehall in central London.

Related Topics:
Whitehall - London

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In 1731, John, Second Duke of Montagu, abandoned the existing grand Montagu House in the socially declining district of Bloomsbury, which was later to become the premises of the British Museum, and purchased a site which had once been occupied by the Archbishops of York's London residence and had later been part of the site of Whitehall Palace. He built himself a relatively modest mansion in the conventional style of the day which can be seen in Canaletto's painting of Whitehall.

Related Topics:
Duke of Montagu - Montagu House - Bloomsbury - British Museum - Archbishops of York's - Whitehall Palace - Canaletto

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In the late 1850s the 2nd Duke of Montagu's descendent, the 5th Duke of Buccleuch one of the United Kingdom's three or four richest landowners, replaced the Georgian house with one of the grandest private mansions in London. It was designed by the versatile Scottish architect William Burn in the style of a French Renaissance chateau. The building was admired in its day. It was built of Portland stone, with a steep mansard roof, corner towers and a skyline peppared with stone chimneys. The interior featured a top-lit central saloon and a grand staircase, heavily coffered ceilings and grand staircases. It housed part of the exceptional Buccleuch art collection, including works by Rubens and Rembrandt and the finest British collection of minatures apart from the Royal Collection.

Related Topics:
Duke of Buccleuch - William Burn - French Renaissance - Chateau - Portland stone - Rubens - Rembrandt - Royal Collection

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In 1917 the house was taken over for use as government offices, and a few years later it was demolished at a time when swaggering Victorian eclecticism was widely disparaged. The site forms roughly the southern half of that of the current main Ministry of Defence building in Whitehall.

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