Manchester House
Manchester House , now Hertford House , is an 18th century mansion on the north side of Manchester Square in Marylebone in the British capital, London . Today it houses the Wallace Collection , a large collection of fine and decorative arts. It is part of the Portman Estate .
history
The house was built in 1776–1788 on behalf of George Montagu , the fourth Duke of Manchester . The reason for choosing the location was a good opportunity for duck hunting nearby.
The front faces south towards Manchester Square, while the garden front faces George Street.
After the Duke's death, the house served as the Spanish embassy from 1791 to 1795 . In 1797, Francis Ingram-Seymour-Conway , the second Marquess of Hertford , leased the house as his London city residence. He was known for his lavish parties.
1836-1851 was the French embassy in Hertford House, since Richard Seymour-Conway , the fourth Marquess of Hertford, lived mostly in Paris . Since then, the house has served as a warehouse for the Marquess' art collection. It was not until the illegitimate son of the marquess, Richard Wallace (1818–1890), who lived in the house again from the 1870s and again brought many works of art from France. He had Hertford House renovated and set up several picture galleries on the upper floor .
After his death in 1890, the house fell to the Office of Works , the predecessor organization of English Heritage . She had it completely converted into a museum. On June 22, 1900, it was opened to the public as the Wallace Collection.
Web links
Coordinates: 51 ° 31 ′ 3 " N , 0 ° 9 ′ 11" W.