Spencer House

Spencer House stands in St James’s Place, Westminster, a grand 18th-century town house built for John Spencer, later the first Earl Spencer. The architect John Vardy designed the exterior, while James ‘Athenian’ Stuart introduced neoclassical Greek details inside, making it one of London’s earliest examples of the style. The house served as the London home of the Spencer family for nearly 140 years, hosting figures like Consuelo Vanderbilt and King Edward VII. After the family left in the 1920s, it became a club, offices, and wartime government rooms. The Spencer family retained ownership, and today the freehold remains with the 9th Earl Spencer. The house’s staterooms reflect its role in high society, with interiors designed by Stuart and later restored to their original glory. During the First World War, the British Government used Spencer House for offices without charge, and in the 1920s it briefly housed exiled Greek royalty, including Prince Philip’s parents. The Ladies Army and Navy Club occupied it between the wars, and Christie’s auctioneers worked there in the late 1940s. The 9th Earl Spencer has said his grandfather nearly sold the house in the 1940s, but Queen Mary advised against it. Visitors today find the restored state rooms open to the public, with walls lined in crimson damask and ceilings adorned with Stuart’s Greek motifs. The grand staircase leads to the first-floor saloon, where gilt and marble create a dramatic setting. Adjoining No. 28 St James’s Place, once a dower house, adds to the historic setting. The house sits close to St James’s Palace, its pale stone facades marking it as a survivor of London’s aristocratic past.