Mount Clare is a

Grade I 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, Hi ...

house built in 1772 in Minstead Gardens,

Roehampton Roehampton is an area in southwest London, sharing its SW15 postcode with neighbouring Putney and Kingston Vale, and takes up a far western strip, running north to south, in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It contains a number of large counc ...

, in the

London Borough of Wandsworth Wandsworth () is a London boroughs, London borough in South West (London sub region), South West London, England. It forms part of Inner London and has an estimated population of 329,677 inhabitants. Its main communities are Battersea, Balham, P ...

. The architect was Sir Robert Taylor, and the house was enlarged with a

portico A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cu ...

and other enrichments in 1780 by Placido Columbani. It was Grade I listed on 14 July 1955. The house was built for the politician George Clive and the gardens were landscaped by

Lancelot "Capability" Brown Lancelot "Capability" Brown (born c. 1715–16, baptised 30 August 1716 – 6 February 1783) was an English gardener and landscape architect, a notable figure in the history of the English landscape garden style. Unlike other architects ...

Notable residents

Clive died in 1779. Subsequent residents have included: *1780–1804: Sir John Dick, British Consul at Leghorn, who died at the house on 2 December 1804 *1807–1819: the chemist

Charles Hatchett Charles Hatchett Fellow of the Royal Society, FRS FRSE (2 January 1765 – 10 March 1847) was an English mineralogist and analytical chemist who discovered the element niobium, for which he proposed the name "columbium". Hatchett was elected a ...

FRS, who discovered the element

niobium Niobium is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol Nb (formerly columbium, Cb) and atomic number 41. It is a light grey, crystalline, and Ductility, ductile transition metal. Pure niobium has a Mohs scale of mineral hardness, Mohs h ...

*1830–1832: Humphrey St John-Mildmay, sixth son of the third Baronet, and Member of Parliament for

Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

*1840–1846:

Admiral of the Fleet An admiral of the fleet or shortened to fleet admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to field marshal and marshal of the air force. An admiral of the fleet is typically senior to an admiral. It is also a generic ter ...

Sir Charles Ogle, 2nd Baronet *1874–1908:

Hugh Colin Smith Hugh Colin Smith (31 October 1836 – 8 March 1910) was an English banker who was Governor of the Bank of England from 1897–99. Early life Smith was born in London, the son of John Abel Smith (1802–1871), Member of Parliament for Chicheste ...

Governor of the Bank of England The governor of the Bank of England is the most senior position in the Bank of England. It is nominally a civil service post, but the appointment tends to be from within the bank, with the incumbent choosing and mentoring a successor. The governor ...

. Smith's

stockbroker A stockbroker is an individual or company that buys and sells stocks and other investments for a financial market participant in return for a commission, markup, or fee. In most countries they are regulated as a broker or broker-dealer and ...

descendants lived in the house until 1945.

Requisition in 1945 and subsequent use

The house was requisitioned by

Wandsworth Borough Council Wandsworth London Borough Council, also known as Wandsworth Council, is the local authority for the London Borough of Wandsworth in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in London. The council has been under Labour m ...

in 1945. In 1963 it became a

hall of residence A dormitory (originated from the Latin word ''dormitorium'', often abbreviated to dorm), also known as a hall of residence, a residence hall (often abbreviated to halls), or a hostel, is a building primarily providing sleeping and residential qu ...

for

Garnett College Garnett College was a higher education college in London which trained lecturers in further and higher education colleges between 1946 and 1988. Its main focus was on teaching towards post-graduate qualifications awarded by the Council for Natio ...

, the UK's only dedicated lecturer-training college. Garnett College became part of Woolwich Polytechnic, then

Thames Polytechnic 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, s ...

, then the

University of Greenwich The University of Greenwich is a public university located in London and Kent, United Kingdom. Previous names include Woolwich Polytechnic and Thames Polytechnic. The university's main campus is at the Old Royal Naval College, which along wi ...

. Today, Mount Clare is owned by the Southlands Methodist TrustMethodist Council (2015)
Southlands College and the Southlands Methodist Trust
Retrieved 28 May 2018 and used as a hall of residence for the

University of Roehampton The University of Roehampton, London, formerly Roehampton Institute of Higher Education, is a public university in the United Kingdom, situated on three major sites in Roehampton, in the London Borough of Wandsworth. The University traces its r ...

Gallery

File:Mount Clare, Roehampton 04.JPG, Mount Clare, front view File:Mount Clare, Roehampton 08.JPG, Mount Clare, rear view File:Mount Clare, Roehampton 03.JPG, Statue in memory of

, Mount Clare

References

{{coord, 51.4519, -0.2509, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title 1772 establishments in England Buildings and structures completed in 1772 Grade I listed buildings in the London Borough of Wandsworth Grade I listed houses in London Halls of residence in the United Kingdom History of the London Borough of Wandsworth Robert Taylor buildings Roehampton University of Roehampton