Forbes House is a

Grade II listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...

house at 10

Halkin Street Halkin Street is a street in Belgravia, London, running south-west to north-east from the north-east corner of Belgrave Square to Grosvenor Place. Notable buildings include Forbes House, Belgravia, Forbes House, a Grade II-listed detached man ...

Belgravia Belgravia () is a district in Central London, covering parts of the areas of the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Belgravia was known as the 'Five Fields' during the Tudor Period, and became a dangerous pla ...

, London SW1.

History

It was built in the early-mid 19th century, and was originally called Mortimer House after

Edward Harley, 3rd Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer Edward Harley, 3rd Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer ( – 11 April 1755) was a British peer and Member of Parliament. He was the nephew of Great Britain's Chief Minister between 1711 and 1714, Robert Harley. Early life Harley was the son and he ...

, for whom the house was built. It is named after

Bernard Forbes, 8th Earl of Granard Bernard Arthur William Patrick Hastings Forbes, 8th Earl of Granard, (17 September 1874 – 10 September 1948), styled Viscount Forbes from 1874 to 1889, was an Anglo-Irish soldier and Liberal Party (UK), Liberal politician. Background Granar ...

and his wife Beatrice Forbes, Countess of Granard, who had it as their principal residence. Forbes House was used to depict an Eastern European embassy, and

Doris Day Doris Day (born Doris Mary Kappelhoff; April 3, 1922 – May 13, 2019) was an American actress and singer. She began her career as a big band singer in 1937, achieving commercial success in 1945 with two No. 1 recordings, "Sentimental Journey ...

sang " Que Sera Sera" in the ballroom, in

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English film director. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featu ...

's film, '' The Man Who Knew Too Much''. For over 50 years until 2010, it was the headquarters of the

Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) is the trade association for the United Kingdom motor industry. Its role is to "promote the interests of the UK automotive industry at home and abroad." History SMMT was founded by Frede ...

. In 2010, the remaining 47-year lease was sold for about £40 million. Grant Wellbelove of Belgravia based Estate Agents Wellbelove Quested represented the Buyer. In 2012, ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' reported that it had been bought by

David and Frederick Barclay Sir David Rowat Barclay (27 October 1934 – 10 January 2021) and Sir Frederick Hugh Barclay (born 27 October 1934), commonly referred to as the "Barclay Brothers" or "Barclay Twins", were British billionaire brothers, of whom Frederick Barclay ...

through "offshore entities in Jersey and the

British Virgin Islands The British Virgin Islands (BVI), officially the Virgin Islands, are a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean, to the east of Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands, US Virgin Islands and north-west ...

(BVI)", and that they had spent £48 million, and the house would provide a London base for Sir David Barclay's son, Aidan Barclay. Forbes House was bought by Forbes House Ltd, registered in the BVI with a £48m loan, and a subsidiary company, the Jersey-registered Halkin St Development Ltd has made the appropriate planning applications to convert it back into a single home. In 2016 the Barclays sold it to former Qatar prime minister

Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber bin Mohammed bin Thani Al Thani (Arabic: ; born 1959), also known informally by his initials HBJ, is a Qatari politician. He was the Prime Minister of Qatar from 3 April 2007 to 26 June 2013, and foreign minister from ...

. In 2020 Westminster Council approved the wholesale remodelling of the original staircase, despite objections from the Council Officers.

Notable residents

Notable residents of Forbes House have included the

Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer was a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1711 for the statesman Robert Harley, 1st Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer, Robert Harley, with remainder, failing heirs male of his body, to those ...

in the early to mid-19th century, and

Edward Douglas-Pennant, 1st Baron Penrhyn Edward Gordon Douglas-Pennant, 1st Baron Penrhyn (born Douglas; 20 June 1800 – 31 March 1886), was a British Conservative Party politician, landowner in Wales, and slave owner in Jamaica. He played a major part in the development of the Wels ...

from 1860.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Forbes House, Belgravia Belgravia Grade II listed houses in the City of Westminster Houses completed in the 19th century Townhouses in the United Kingdom