Grantham House

Survey of London: Volume 13, St Margaret, Westminster, Part II: Whitehall I. Originally published by London County Council, London, 1930.

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Citation:

'Grantham House', in Survey of London: Volume 13, St Margaret, Westminster, Part II: Whitehall I, ed. Montagu H Cox, Philip Norman( London, 1930), British History Online https://prod.british-history.ac.uk/survey-london/vol13/pt2/pp160-161 [accessed 4 July 2024].

'Grantham House', in Survey of London: Volume 13, St Margaret, Westminster, Part II: Whitehall I. Edited by Montagu H Cox, Philip Norman( London, 1930), British History Online, accessed July 4, 2024, https://prod.british-history.ac.uk/survey-london/vol13/pt2/pp160-161.

"Grantham House". Survey of London: Volume 13, St Margaret, Westminster, Part II: Whitehall I. Ed. Montagu H Cox, Philip Norman(London, 1930), , British History Online. Web. 4 July 2024. https://prod.british-history.ac.uk/survey-london/vol13/pt2/pp160-161.

CHAPTER 9: GRANTHAM HOUSE (No. 6 WHITEHALL YARD) (Demolished)

In 1719 (fn. n1) George Treby (fn. n2) obtained a lease of a piece of ground 120 feet long from east to west, 50 feet wide at the west end and 48½ feet wide on the east, bounded north by a passage leading to the Thames (i.e. the way to Whitehall Stairs), east by the river, south by a piece of ground in the possession of Mrs. Darcy, and west by other waste ground within the Palace. A few weeks later Treby applied for (fn. n3) and obtained leave to take down a piece of old wall, (fn. n4) "part of the Ruines of Whitehall" on the west side of his premises, and in the following year asked (fn. n5) to be allowed to surrender his lease and take out a fresh lease of the premises to include a piece of ground adjoining the west side, 53 feet by 52 feet. (fn. n6) The petition was granted.

It appears from the report on the petition that Treby had already put in hand building, which "when finisht will cost upwards of £3,000," but it is not until 1725 that the house appears in the ratebooks. From that date until 1745 (with a few breaks) Treby is shown in occupation. In 1738 he obtained a reversionary lease of 35 years from 1st April, 1752. The ratebooks for 1746 to 1750 show the Earl of Dysart (fn. n7) at the house.

In 1749 Sir Thomas Robinson (fn. n8) (afterwards 1st Baron Grantham), who had recently returned from his diplomatic career on the Continent, and was on the look-out for a permanent residence in London, acquired Treby's interest in the house and applied for a new lease, as well as for permission to build over the covered passage to Whitehall Stairs for a distance of 36 feet. The report on his application (fn. n9) states that Treby had erected "a substantial house," and that Robinson was then making considerable improvements to it. The lease (and the necessary permission to build over the passage) was granted in the following year. Grantham died at the house in Whitehall on 30th September, 1770.

In 1779 his son, 2nd Baron Grantham, (fn. n10) applied for a reversionary lease, which was duly granted, (fn. n11) to run for 29½ years from 9th April, 1800. On his marriage in 1780 he settled (fn. n12) the house on his wife, and after his death Lady Grantham (fn. n13) continued to reside there until her death, which took place in the house at Whitehall on 7th January, 1830. The lease expired in the same year, and the premises were taken over by the Crown, being at first used for the Earl Marshal's office. They were demolished on the formation of Horse Guards Avenue about 1896.

A view of the house in 1803 is contained in Plate 47.

Footnotes

  • n1. P.R.O., T. 54/26.
  • n2. Son of Sir George Treby, judge. He was M.P. for Plympton, 1708–34, appointed Secretary at War, 1718, Teller of the Exchequer, 1724.
  • n3. P.R.O., T. 54/25, p. 330.
  • n4. Evidently the eastern wall of the Great Hall. Treby's ground included the sites of the two vestries and a portion of the site of the Chapel Royal.
  • n5. P.R.O., T. 54/26, p. 117.
  • n6. Part of the site of the Great Hall. This was not built on.
  • n7. Lionel, the 4th Earl, b. 1708, d. 1770.
  • n8. Sir Thomas Robinson, K.B., born 1695, 4th son of Sir Wm. Robinson of Newby, Yorks, was ambassador at Vienna from 1730 to 1748. From 1749 to 1754 and again from 1755 to 1760 he was Master of the Wardrobe, and during the interval was Secretary of State for the southern department and leader of the House of Commons. In 1755–6 he was PostmasterGeneral, and in 1761 was created Baron Grantham.
  • n9. P.R.O., T. 55/7, p. 374.
  • n10. Born at Vienna in 1738. He was ambassador at Madrid 1771–9, 1st Commissioner of Trade and Plantations, 1780–2, and Secretary of State for the Foreign Department, 1782–3. He died at Grantham House, Putney Heath, on 20th July, 1786.
  • n11. 23rd March, 1780.
  • n12. Middx. Memls., 1781, II, 322.
  • n13. Lady Jemima Grey, youngest daughter of Philip, Earl of Hardwicke.