Marlborough House

En un regard

Le château en bref

Marlborough House stands on Pall Mall, east of St James's Palace, in the St James's district of Westminster. Built from 1709 to 1711 to designs by Sir Christopher Wren for John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, it was above all the project of his wife Sarah, who commissioned and oversaw it and completed the building work herself after falling out with the architect. Historic England describes it as a true French-style hôtel particulier. The red-brick mansion with stone quoins, opening onto a walled forecourt, was raised and extended in the 19th century by Sir James Pennethorne. Inside, the central saloon and its staircases painted by Louis Laguerre, depicting the Duke's battles, remain the heart of the decoration, complemented by chimneypieces by William Chambers and royal alterations. Passing to the Crown in 1817, it housed in turn Prince Leopold, Queen Adelaide, the future Edward VII, George V, Queen Alexandra and then Queen Mary, who died there in 1953. Placed at the disposal of the Commonwealth by Elizabeth II in 1959, it has housed the Commonwealth Secretariat and the Commonwealth Foundation since 1965 and hosts conferences and independence negotiations. The garden largely retains its 18th-century layout.