Richmond House was a large mansion in Twickenham, Surrey, England.

History

The house was built in about 1640 for Edward Birkhead, who was Serjeant at Arms of the British House of Commons. The house was acquired by Francis Newport, 1st Earl of Bradford in 1682: he built up an important art collection which is now at Weston Park in Staffordshire. It then passed to one of his sons, Thomas Newport, 1st Baron Torrington, in 1708 and to Anthony Browne, 6th Viscount Montagu in 1736. From 1744 to 1766 it was owned and occupied by

Anthony Keck Anthony Keck (1726–1797) was an 18th-century English architect with an extensive practice in Gloucestershire, Worcestershire, Herefordshire and South Wales. Life Keck was born at Randwick, Gloucestershire in 1726 He designed in the "austere ...

. The house was then bought by Mary, Dowager Countess of Shelburne (mother of the

William Petty, 1st Marquess of Lansdowne William Petty Fitzmaurice, 1st Marquess of Lansdowne, (2 May 17377 May 1805; known as the Earl of Shelburne between 1761 and 1784, by which title he is generally known to history), was an Irish-born British Whig statesman who was the first ...

, who served as Prime Minister) in 1766. It then passed to

Martha Bruce, Countess of Elgin and Kincardine Martha Bruce, Countess of Elgin and Kincardine (1739 – 21 June 1810), born Martha White and known for most of her life as Lady Elgin, was the wife of Charles Bruce, 5th Earl of Elgin and 9th Earl of Kincardine, mother of the collector Thomas ...

(mother of

Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin and 11th Earl of Kincardine (; 20 July 176614 November 1841) was a British nobleman, soldier, politician and diplomat, known primarily for the controversial procurement of marble sculptures (known as the Elgin Ma ...

, who installed the Elgin Marbles in the British Museum) in 1810. It then was acquired by Sir Claude Champion de Crespigny, 1st Baronet in 1813 and by Mrs Anne Seymour Damer (a sculptor and close friend of

Horace Walpole Horatio Walpole (), 4th Earl of Orford (24 September 1717 – 2 March 1797), better known as Horace Walpole, was an English writer, art historian, man of letters, antiquarian, and Whigs (British political party), Whig politician. He had Strawb ...

), in 1816. The house was finally purchased by Field Marshal

Sir Edward Blakeney Field Marshal Sir Edward Blakeney (26 March 1778 – 2 August 1868) was a British Army officer. After serving as a junior officer with the expedition to Dutch Guiana and being taken prisoner by privateers three times suffering great hardship, ...

in 1850 and, after passing down his family, was demolished in 1924.

References

1640 establishments in England 1924 disestablishments in England Houses completed in 1640 Houses in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames Buildings and structures demolished in 1924 Demolished buildings and structures in London Twickenham Mansions {{coord, 51.44576, N, 0.32824, W, region:GB-BKM_type:landmark, display=title