Marlborough House is a Grade I listed mansion in the City of Westminster, in
The Mall, London, east of St James's Palace. It was built for Sarah
Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough, the favourite and confidante of Queen Anne.
For over a century it served as the London residence of the Dukes of
Marlborough. It is now the headquarters of the Commonwealth Secretariat.
Construction The Duchess wanted her new house to be
"strong, plain and convenient and good". The architect Christopher Wren and his
son of the same name designed a brick building with rusticated stone quoins
that was completed in 1711. The house was taken up by the Crown in
1817. In the 1820s plans were drawn up to demolish Marlborough House and
replace it with a terrace of similar dimensions to the two in neighbouring
Carlton House Terrace, and this idea even featured on some contemporary maps,
including Christopher and John Greenwood's large-scale London map of
1830, but the proposal was not implemented.
Royal residence Marlborough House was primarily used by
members of the Royal Family, especially dowager queens and eldest sons of the
sovereign. Queen Adelaide, widow of William IV, was given the use of
Marlborough House from 1831 until her death in 1849.
From 1853 to 1861 Prince Albert, the consort of Queen Victoria, arranged for
the building to be used by the "National Art Training School", later the Royal
College of Art. From 1861-1863, the building was
substantially enlarged to designs by Sir James Pennethorne, who added a range of
rooms on the north side and a deep porch. This was done for the Prince of
Wales, later King Edward VII, and his wife the Princess of Wales, Alexandra of
Denmark, who made their home the social centre of London. Their second son,
later King George V, was born at Marlborough House in 1865, and the
family lived there until Victoria died in 1901, when Edward acceded the throne
and they moved to nearby Buckingham Palace.
After Edward VII died in 1910, Alexandra reverted to Marlborough House as her
London home, until her death in 1925. A late Art Nouveau-Gothic memorial
fountain by Alfred Gilbert in the Marlborough Road wall of the house
commemorates her. In 1936 Marlborough House became the
London residence of their son's widow, Mary of Teck. Mary survived George by 17
years. In the grounds of the house remains her pet cemetery. A
thatch-roofed rotating summer house built for her still is in place. A
plaque to commemorate Queen Mary was unveiled by the Queen in 1967 in the
exterior wall closest to the corner with the Mall.
Commonwealth Secretariat After Queen Mary's death in 1953, as
Clarence House was used for Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, Marlborough
House was donated by Queen Elizabeth II for use by the Commonwealth Secretariat,
which continues to use it today. Features
The nearly cubical saloon retains wall-paintings by Louis Laguerre of the
Battle of Blenheim. A cupola inserted in the ceiling is surrounded by paintings
by Orazio Gentileschi for the Queen's House, Greenwich, 1636. There are paired
staircases flanking the saloon, with further battle pieces by Laguerre. Most
of the interiors have been altered. Public opening times
Marlborough House is usually open to the public for Open House Weekend each
September. The house is also open for group tours by prior arrangement.
References Bibliography
Stourton, James. Great Houses of London. London: Frances Lincoln. ISBN
978-0-7112-3366-9. External links
Visiting Information at The Commonwealth Secretariat
Virtual tour Flickr images tagged Marlborough House