The Embassy of Sweden in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

is the

diplomatic mission A diplomatic mission or foreign mission is a group of people from a state or organization present in another state to represent the sending state or organization officially in the receiving or host state. In practice, the phrase usually denotes ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. The Swedish embassy is located in

Marylebone Marylebone (usually , also ) is an area in London, England, and is located in the City of Westminster. It is in Central London and part of the West End. Oxford Street forms its southern boundary. An ancient parish and latterly a metropo ...

, London, and represents the

Swedish government The Government of the Kingdom of Sweden () is the national cabinet of Sweden, and the country's executive authority. The Government consists of the Prime Minister and their cabinet ministers (). The Government is responsible for its actions ...

in the United Kingdom.

History

Staff and tasks

Staff

At the Swedish embassy in London, around 30 people work on a range of different issues. Both seconded Swedish diplomats and local employees work here.

Tasks

The Embassy of Sweden in the United Kingdom is organized into several key departments: *Political, Economic, and Trade Department: This department's primary responsibility is to represent Sweden in its interactions with UK officials across various areas, including domestic and foreign policy, security, EU cooperation, and economic matters. It also promotes Swedish trade interests and the overall image of Sweden, including communication efforts. *Defence Department: Part of the

Swedish Armed Forces The Swedish Armed Forces (, literally ''Defence Force'') are the Military, armed forces of the Kingdom of Sweden. It consists of four separate military branches, the Swedish Army, the Swedish Navy, the Swedish Air Force and the Home Guard (Swed ...

, this department supports military cooperation between Sweden and the UK and manages diplomatic clearances for Swedish military personnel, state aircraft, and naval vessels in British territory. *Innovation and Research Office: Opened in 2022, this office is a joint initiative of several Swedish ministries. It focuses on developing and promoting collaboration between the UK and Sweden in areas such as life sciences, exports and investments, research, innovation, and government cooperation programs. *Consular Department: This department handles daily consular matters concerning Swedish citizens in the UK, including emergencies, deaths, birth registrations, paternity issues, coordination numbers, passport services, and some visa and legal matters. *Cultural Department: The Cultural Department promotes Swedish culture in the UK, including

literature Literature is any collection of Writing, written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially novels, Play (theatre), plays, and poetry, poems. It includes both print and Electroni ...

art Art is a diverse range of cultural activity centered around ''works'' utilizing creative or imaginative talents, which are expected to evoke a worthwhile experience, generally through an expression of emotional power, conceptual ideas, tec ...

, dance,

music Music is the arrangement of sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm, or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Music is generally agreed to be a cultural universal that is present in all hum ...

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

, and theater, and works to establish cultural connections and collaborations between the two countries.

Buildings

Chancery

In 1907, the Swedish legation in London moved into rented premises at 73

Portland Place Portland Place is a street in the Marylebone district of central London. Named after the 3rd Duke of Portland, the unusually wide street is home to the BBC's headquarters Broadcasting House, the Chinese and Polish embassies, the Royal Insti ...

. It was used both as

chancery Chancery may refer to: Offices and administration * Court of Chancery, the chief court of equity in England and Wales until 1873 ** Equity (law), also called chancery, the body of jurisprudence originating in the Court of Chancery ** Courts of e ...

and as ambassadorial residence. In 1921, the townhouse at 27

was purchased and a 999-year lease with the English landowner

Baron Howard de Walden Baron Howard de Walden is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created by writ of summons in 1597 by Queen Elizabeth I for Admiral Lord Thomas Howard, a younger son of Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk, by his second wife, the Honour ...

was agreed. The purchase price was 1,200,000 Swedish kronor, with a 999-year lease contract for a total redemption sum of 27,000 pounds. In addition, approximately 38,500 pounds were spent on renovations. In mid-1947, it was reported that the legation building would undergo extensive repairs. All windows, which were both outdated in design and damaged during wartime bombings, were to be replaced with new, modern Swedish-made ones. Additionally, all premises were to be repainted, a task carried out by Swedish workers. After the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the embassy found itself increasingly in need of space and the neighbouring property 29 Portland Place was therefore rented. The two properties were connected in a number of places. The lease on No. 29 was terminated in the early 1970s. Between 1970 and 1983, the chancery was located at 23 North Row in

Mayfair Mayfair is an area of Westminster, London, England, in the City of Westminster. It is in Central London and part of the West End. It is between Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Park Lane and one of the most expensive districts ...

, across the street from

Marble Arch The Marble Arch is a 19th-century white marble-faced triumphal arch in London, England. The structure was designed by John Nash in 1827 as the state entrance to the cour d'honneur of Buckingham Palace; it stood near the site of what is today th ...

. Between 1970 and 1973, the embassy and the Swedish consulate general in London were colocated at 23 North Row. Since 1983, the chancery building is located at 11 Montagu Square in

, just down the road from the embassy of Switzerland. Sweden also maintains a Trade Council at 259-269 Old Marylebone Road,

. File:Embassy_of_Sweden_in_London_2.jpg, Close-up of the

Three Crowns Three Crowns () is the national emblem of Sweden, present in the coat of arms of Sweden, and composed of three yellow or Gilding, gilded coronets ordered two above and one below, placed on a blue background. Similar designs are found on a numbe ...

on the embassy File:Embassy_of_Sweden_in_London_3.jpg, Plaque outside the embassy File:Embassy_of_Sweden_in_London_4.jpg, Plaque in Swedish and information panel outside the embassy File:Swedish Embassy, London.jpg, The embassy in 2005

Residence

The ambassadorial residence is located at 27 Portland Place since 1921. It has been used as

and as residence but since 1983 it has been used solely as a residence. File:Residence of Swedish ambassador in London.jpg, The ambassadorial residence at 27

References

External links

Sweden–United Kingdom relations Buildings and structures in the City of Westminster Marylebone {{London-struct-stub