26-747: Open House London , now known as Open House Festival, is an annual festival celebrating the architecture and urban landscape of London. It is staged by the charity Open City which campaigns to make London a more accessible, equitable and open city. Starting in London in 1992 the festival has spread to over 60 of cities across the world. During the Open House Festival, many buildings considered to be of architectural significance open their doors for free public tours. The 2019 event featured over 800 buildings, neighbourhood walks, architects' talks, cycle tours, and more. Well-known buildings not usually open to
52-602: A Grade I listed mansion on The Mall in St James's , City of Westminster , London , is the headquarters of the Commonwealth of Nations and the seat of the Commonwealth Secretariat . It is adjacent to St James's Palace . The house was built in 1711 for Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough , the favourite and confidante of Queen Anne . For over a century it served as the London residence of
78-503: A deep porch for the Prince and Princess of Wales, later King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra , who made their home the social centre of London. Their second son, the future King George V , was born at Marlborough House in 1865, and the family lived there until Queen Victoria died in 1901, when Edward acceded to the throne and they moved to nearby Buckingham Palace . From the 1880s the term ‘Marlborough House Set’ came into usage to denote
104-531: A full guild member of the Masons Company of London. London was still in the aftermath of the Great Fire and many major rebuilding projects were planned. Strong formed a business relationship with Christopher Wren around 1680 with their first joint project being St Benet's, Paul's Wharf one of the many churches destroyed in the fire. There most important joint project was St Paul's which is nor only
130-552: A royal residence. The Princess died before the purchase was completed, and so her widower lived there alone for some time. He was offered the Belgian throne in the house on 22 April 1831. 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
156-457: A third storey to the house and architectural details like new ceilings and chimneypieces. After the fourth duke's death in 1817 ownership was taken up by the Crown so the building could be used as the residence of Princess Charlotte of Wales and her husband Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld , the location of the house (north of The Mall and east of St James's Palace ) making it convenient as
182-544: Is specifically noted (on his own account) as mason of the lantern on the dome of St Pauls. He was involved with multiple "Wren spires". He died on 10 October 1741. Edward the Younger married Susanna Roberts in 1699 and they had four daughters. The eldest Susannah Strong, married Sir John Strange and had eleven children including John Strange . Edward the Elder was portrayed by Godfrey Kneller around 1690. The portrait
208-519: Is usually open to the public for Open House Weekend each September. The house is also open for group tours by prior arrangement. Edward Strong the Elder Edward Strong the Elder (1652–1724) and Edward Strong the Younger (1676–1741) were a father and son pair of British sculptors mainly working in London in the 17th and 18th centuries. They led a team of 65 masons and were responsible for many important projects including
234-462: The dukes of Marlborough . It became a royal residence through the 19th century and first half of the 20th. The house was expanded for the Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VII , and became closely associated with the prince and his social circle in the Victorian era. His daughter in law, later Queen Mary , lived there when she was Princess of Wales and took a special, continuing interest in
260-427: The pheasantry adjoining St. James's Palace , and partly by the gardens of Henry Boyle , Queen Anne's Secretary of State . The Duke left his wife entirely in charge of the design and building of Marlborough House; she wanted her new home to be "strong, plain and convenient and good". The architect Christopher Wren and his son of the same name designed a two-story brick building with rusticated stone quoins that
286-488: The Duchess a direct entrance onto Pall Mall. Wren had designed and built a gateway arch and screen in the front courtyard with this entrance in mind, which survives as a grotto. Still intent on an entrance from Pall Mall, in 1729 the Duchess leased four houses to the west and had them demolished to create a "poky" diagonal entrance. In the 1770s, the 4th Duke of Marlborough hired the architect Sir William Chambers to add
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#1732782833754312-532: The Marlborough Road wall of the house commemorates her. In 1936, Marlborough House became the London residence of George V's widow, Queen Mary, who survived George by 17 years. In the grounds of the house remains her pet cemetery . A thatch-roofed rotating summer house built for her is still in place. A plaque to commemorate Queen Mary was unveiled in 1967. After Queen Mary's death in 1953, Marlborough House continued to be used by various members of
338-640: The Museum of Manufactures, a predecessor of the Victoria & Albert Museum , housed its collections in Marlborough House. From 1853 to 1861 Prince Albert arranged for the building to be used by the "National Art Training School", later the Royal College of Art . From 1861 to 1863, Sir James Pennethorne substantially enlarged the structure by adding a range of rooms on the north side and
364-623: The Prince of Wales's fast-living social circle, which included gamblers, bankers, and other "raffish" individuals. After his father moved to Buckingham Palace in 1901, Edward VII's son George, now Prince of Wales, took up residence with his wife Mary and their children. Mary extensively redecorated to make the home more comfortable, and was reluctant to move to Buckingham Palace after her husband became George V in 1910. Following this, Queen Alexandra once again made Marlborough House her London home, until her death in 1925. A late Art Nouveau - Gothic memorial fountain by Alfred Gilbert (1926–32) in
390-461: The blade formed in the shape of London's skyline. This article about an organisation in England is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This London -related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Marlborough House 51°30′18″N 0°8′9″W / 51.50500°N 0.13583°W / 51.50500; -0.13583 Marlborough House ,
416-586: The house; she, like her mother-in-law Queen Alexandra before her, returned to live there in her widowhood and memorials to both queens are on its grounds. The building was leased by Queen Elizabeth II to the Commonwealth Secretariat beginning in 1965. In 1708, John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough was granted a 50-year lease of the site from the Crown Estate at a low rent from Queen Anne, which beforehand had been partly occupied by
442-400: The magnum opus of Wren but also of Strong. Strong oversaw the bulk of the ornamentation including the frontage and the dome. Wren and Strong appear to have been friends over and beyond their long-standing business connection, and the relationship was certainly mutually beneficial. Their sons were particularly close (see below). It is likely that they spent much private time together discussing
468-513: The practicalities and design options of various design features. He died on 8 February 1724 and was buried in the Church of St Peter, St. Albans . His monument has a bust and is probably by this son. Edward was the son of Edward Strong the Elder and Martha Beauchamp, sister of the sculptor Ephraim Beauchamp . He trained under his father and became a full member of the Guild of Masons in 1698. In
494-431: The proposal was not implemented. After Leopold became king of Belgium and left Britain, Marlborough House continued to be primarily used by members of the royal family , Queen Adelaide being given the use of Marlborough House from 1831 until her death in 1849. Following Queen Adelaide's death, Queen Victoria asked Parliament to allow the Prince of Wales to live there when he turned nineteen. From May to September 1852,
520-524: The public which were open on Open House weekend in 2005, for example, included Marlborough House , Lancaster House , Mansion House , the Foreign and Commonwealth Office , and Horse Guards . Outside of the Open House festival, Open City organises other projects including year-round tours, lectures and educational events for children and young people. The Open House festival uses a key as its emblem,
546-438: The rebuilding of St Paul's Cathedral and Blenheim Palace . Edward came from a long line of masons and quarry owners and was the son of Valentine Strong (1609–1662) and Anne Margetts. Valentine had built Sherborne House for Sir John Dutton 1651 to 1653. His grandfather Timothy Strong rebuilt the frontage of Cornbury House in 1631. His elder brother Thomas Strong was also a mason but died young in 1681. In 1680 he became
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#1732782833754572-458: The royal family as a London residence before Queen Elizabeth II leased it to the Commonwealth Secretariat in 1965, an arrangement which continues today. The Gambia Independence Act 1964 was signed at Marlborough House, before its independence on 18 February 1965. The nearly cubical saloon retains wall-paintings by Louis Laguerre of the Battle of Blenheim (at which the 1st Duke of Marlborough
598-520: The same year he went on an architectural tour of Europe, visiting France, Italy and Holland with Christopher Wren the Younger . This year long trip indicates a friendship beyond a simple working relationship. It is also noteworthy that this trip is somewhat early within the British fashion for the " Grand Tour " which was at its peak 50 years later. He worked on many projects with his father including St Paul's Cathedral, Greenwich and Blenheim Palace and
624-527: The smallest details and quarreled with the Wrens over the contractors they had hired. This led John Vanbrugh to joke that the Duchess had "the direction in chief to herself, with Sir Christopher Wren as her Deputy Surveyor." Eventually she dismissed the Wrens and took control of the design herself. In 1727, Sarah's political rival Sir Robert Walpole purchased the lot between Marlborough House and Pall Mall through his protégé Thomas Ripley , reputedly to deny
650-468: Was completed in 1711. The stonework and ornamentation were built by Edward Strong the Younger a friend of Christopher Wren the Younger . The Duke purchased the bricks cheaply in Holland while on campaign, and had them transported to England as ballast in the empty troop ships on their return journeys from depositing British troops. Throughout the building process, the Duchess kept a close watch on even
676-499: Was overall commander for Britain and her allies; seat of the dukes of Marlborough is Blenheim Palace , one of England's largest houses). A cupola inserted in the ceiling is surrounded by paintings by Orazio Gentileschi and Artemisia 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. Marlborough House
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