Fife House was a building in

Whitehall Whitehall is a road and area in the City of Westminster, Central London. The road forms the first part of the A roads in Zone 3 of the Great Britain numbering scheme, A3212 road from Trafalgar Square to Chelsea, London, Chelsea. It is the main ...

, London. It was the home of politicians including

Robert Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool Robert Banks Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool, (7 June 1770 – 4 December 1828) was a British Tory statesman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1812 to 1827. He held many important cabinet offices such as Foreign Secret ...

, Prime Minister from 1812 to 1827. The house was demolished in 1869.

History

The house later known as Fife House was built by the politician Edmund Dunch, on grounds adjacent to the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...

where buildings had been destroyed in a fire of 1698. After his death in 1719 it was the home of his widow Elizabeth, who died in 1761, the house being then purchased by

Joshua Steele Joshua Steele (c.1700–1796) was a British plantation owner and writer. Life He resided many years in London. In 1756, he was elected a member of the Society of Arts. Steele possessed estates in Barbados: Chester's, Hallett's and Kendal's. He ...

. It was soon afterwards purchased by

James Duff, 2nd Earl Fife James Duff, 2nd Earl Fife (29 September 1729 – 1809) was a Scottish aristocrat and Member of Parliament. Heritage James Duff was second son of William Duff, 1st Earl Fife, and Jean Grant (daughter of Sir James Grant of Pluscardine, Baron ...

."Scotland Yard: South of Whitehall Place", in ''Survey of London: Volume 16, St Martin-in-The-Fields I: Charing Cross, ed. G H Gater and E P Wheeler (London, 1935)'', pp. 165-192
British History Online, accessed 23 July 2019. In 1766 the interior was redesigned by

Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

and James Adam."Fife House, Whitehall, London: designs for interior decoration, for James Duff, 2nd Earl of Fife, 1766-67 (4)"
Sir John Soane's Museum Collection Online. Retrieved 24 July 2019. In 1803 the house was enlarged by the acquisition of adjoining properties. The Earl died at Fife House on 24 January 1809; on 27 July of that year it was purchased by

. He made repairs and alterations, designed by

John Soane Sir John Soane (; né Soan; 10 September 1753 – 20 January 1837) was an English architect who specialised in the Neoclassical architecture, Neo-Classical style. The son of a bricklayer, he rose to the top of his profession, becoming professo ...

. The Earl of Liverpool was Prime Minister from 1812 to 1827, and Fife House was a centre of political life. After his death in 1828, the house became the home of his half-brother Charles Jenkinson, 3rd Earl of Liverpool, until his death in 1851. For a few years from 1855 his daughter Viscountess Milton and her husband G. S. Foljambe lived in the house. It was the temporary home of the

India Museum The India Museum was a London museum of India-related exhibits, established in 1801. It was closed in 1879 and its collection dispersed, part of it later forming a section in the South Kensington Museum. History The museum, of the East India Com ...

from 1861 until 1869."Fugitive pieces"
''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', 25 September 2003. Retrieved 24 July 2019. In that year the house was demolished.

References

{{coord, 51.501, -0.125, region:GB, display=title Former houses in the City of Westminster Prime ministerial homes in the United Kingdom Buildings and structures demolished in 1869 Demolished buildings and structures in London