Prime Ministers and dukes once called Wimbourne House home. This historic townhouse at 22 Arlington Street whispers tales of power and prestige. Today Wimbourne House stands as a Grade II listed building. It overlooks Green Park. It now houses special event rooms for the adjacent Ritz Hotel.
Wimbourne House is also known as Wimborne House or the William Kent House. Its story begins in the mid-18th century. Henry Pelham, then Prime Minister, commissioned William Kent to design it. Construction started around 1743. It continued even after Kent’s death in 1748. Stephen Wright completed the work.
Arlington Street was a fashionable address. It was known as the ministerial street. Pelham’s neighbors included other prominent figures. These figures included Robert Walpole and Lord Carteret. Pelham died suddenly in 1754.
Granville Leveson-Gower, the 2nd Earl Gower, then occupied Wimbourne House. Another Prime Minister, Augustus FitzRoy, the 3rd Duke of Grafton, followed him. Henry Pelham-Clinton, Earl of Lincoln, renovated the house in the 1770s.
In the 19th century, John Jeffreys Pratt, Marquess Camden, owned the house. He sold it to Major Henry Somerset, the 7th Duke of Beaufort. The Duke of Beaufort renamed it Beaufort House. He hired Owen Jones to embellish the interiors.
William Hamilton, the 11th Duke of Hamilton, purchased the house in 1852. He renamed it Hamilton House. He installed iron firebacks with his coronet and motto. His widow sold it to Sir Ivor Bertie Guest. Guest became Baron Wimborne in 1880. He renamed it Wimbourne House.
Guest undertook numerous renovations. He added a ballroom with elaborately carved mouldings. The Ritz Hotel wanted to acquire the house in 1898. Lord Wimbourne refused. He joked about buying the Ritz instead.
Wimbourne House expanded greatly over time. Most additions were removed in the 1970s. An effort was made to restore the Kentian character of the building.
In 2000, Ettwein Bridges Architects created function suites for the Ritz Hotel. They carefully preserved the heritage of both sites. They built the new suites while the hotel was operating. Much of the machinery was relocated to the roof. A new steel structure minimized vibrations.
Philippe Belloir, who had worked on the Hôtel Ritz Paris, designed the interiors. He drew inspiration from the existing ceilings. His features include painted faux wood paneling. He also included air conditioning units hidden inside chests of drawers.
An inventory taken after Pelham’s death guided the restoration. The grisaille paintings by Kent have been restored. Some later remodeling attempts have been preserved. These attempts include Owen Jones’s fish-scale motifs. One hundred years after the initial attempt, Wimbourne House became part of the Ritz Hotel. It’s a reminder of London’s history and elegance.