Holford House was an

English country house An English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a town house. This allowed them to spend time in the country and in the city—hence, for these peopl ...

built in the

Regent's Park Regent's Park (officially The Regent's Park) is one of the Royal Parks of London. It occupies of high ground in north-west Inner London, administratively split between the City of Westminster and the Borough of Camden (and historically betwee ...

in 1832, then on the outskirts of London. It was used at various times in its history as a private residence and an educational college for

Dissenters A dissenter (from the Latin ''dissentire'', "to disagree") is one who dissents (disagrees) in matters of opinion, belief, etc. Usage in Christianity Dissent from the Anglican church In the social and religious history of England and Wales, an ...

before being destroyed by a German air raid in 1944. Holfordhouse

History

Built in 1832, the Holford House was designed by

Decimus Burton Decimus Burton (30 September 1800 – 14 December 1881) was one of the foremost English architects and landscapers of the 19th century. He was the foremost Victorian architect in the Roman revival, Greek revival, Georgian neoclassical and R ...

for James Holford, a wealthy merchant and wine importer. At the time, it was the largest house in the Regent's Park.Weinreb B, Hibbert C (eds). The London Encyclopaedia, 1993. Holford lived there until his death in 1853, when the house was leased by Regent's Park College, a

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only ( believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul c ...

college for the training of ministers, which later became affiliated with the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

. The College moved out in 1927, during which time it is unclear who or what occupied the house. It was described as 'a mansion of large extent and rare magnificence' by

Edward Walford Edward Walford (1823–1897) was a British magazine editor and a compiler of educational, biographical, genealogical and touristic works, perhaps best known for his 6 Volumes of ''Old and New London'' (the first two of which were written by Walt ...

's guide to London in 1878.'The Regent's Park', Old and New London: Volume 5 (1878), pp. 262-286. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=45236 Date accessed: 02 April 2013.' The house was destroyed during a German air raid in 1944.

References

{{Coord, 51, 32, 2, N, 0, 09, 43, W, display=title Regent's Park College, Oxford Regent's Park Decimus Burton buildings History of the University of Oxford