Trumpeters' House 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 ...

building in

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, a city in the United States * Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...

in southwest London. It is located in

Old Palace Yard Old Palace Yard is a paved open space in the City of Westminster in Central London, England. It lies between the Palace of Westminster to its north and east and Westminster Abbey to its west. It is known as the site of executions, including tho ...

close to

Richmond Green Richmond Green is a recreation area near the centre of Richmond, London, Richmond, a town of about 20,000 inhabitants situated in south-west London. Owned by the Crown Estate, it is leased to the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. The Gree ...

on the site of the former

Richmond Palace Richmond Palace was a Tudor royal residence on the River Thames in England which stood in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Situated in what was then rural Surrey, it lay upstream and on the opposite bank from the Palace of Westminste ...

. A brick mansion, it was constructed during the reign of Queen Anne during the early eighteenth century.

Sheen Palace Richmond Palace was a Tudor royal residence on the River Thames in England which stood in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Situated in what was then rural Surrey, it lay upstream and on the opposite bank from the Palace of Westminste ...

had existed since the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

. Henry VII had rebuilt this old site as a new Thames-side palace during the early

Tudor period In England and Wales, the Tudor period occurred between 1485 and 1603, including the Elizabethan era during the reign of Elizabeth I (1558–1603). The Tudor period coincides with the dynasty of the House of Tudor in England, which began with ...

and renamed it Richmond Palace. It gradually fell into disuse over the following centuries. In the early eighteenth century the former middle gate of the palace was demolished and the house erected in its place around 1708. It was known as the Trumpeters' House due to the figures of the two trumpeters that had featured on the gate. The new property was designed for the soldier John Hill, the brother of Queen Anne's

favourite A favourite was the intimate companion of a ruler or other important person. In Post-classical Europe, post-classical and Early modern Europe, early-modern Europe, among other times and places, the term was used of individuals delegated signifi ...

Abigail Hill Abigail Masham, Baroness Masham (née Hill; 6 December 1734), was an English courtier. She was a favourite of Queen Anne, and a cousin of Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough. Life Early life Abigail Hill was the daughter of Francis Hill, a London m ...

. From 1765 the Old Richmond Theatre was located nearby. In 1848 the Austrian statesman

Klemens von Metternich Klemens Wenzel Nepomuk Lothar, Prince of Metternich-Winneburg zu Beilstein ( ; 15 May 1773 – 11 June 1859), known as Klemens von Metternich () or Prince Metternich, was a German statesman and diplomat in the service of the Austrian Empire. ...

resided at the house after going into exile following the

Revolutions of 1848 The revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the springtime of the peoples or the springtime of nations, were a series of revolutions throughout Europe over the course of more than one year, from 1848 to 1849. It remains the most widespre ...

that shook Continental Europe that year. After visiting Metternich there, future British Prime Minister

Benjamin Disraeli Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield (21 December 1804 – 19 April 1881) was a British statesman, Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician and writer who twice served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He played a ...

described it as "on Richmond Green the most charming house in the world". It was later lived in by the

electrical engineer Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems that use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. It emerged as an identifiable occupation in the l ...

Guglielmo Marconi Guglielmo Giovanni Maria Marconi, 1st Marquess of Marconi ( ; ; 25 April 1874 – 20 July 1937) was an Italian electrical engineer, inventor, and politician known for his creation of a practical radio wave-based Wireless telegraphy, wireless tel ...

. Since the late 1990s it has been the home of Baron

Willem van Dedem Baron Willem van Dedem, also styled as Willem, Baron van Dedem, (1929–2015) was a Dutch businessman, art collector, art historian and philanthropist. He donated artworks to the National Gallery in London, the Rijksmuseum and the Mauritshuis. A ...

(1929–2015), a Dutch businessman, art collector, art historian and philanthropist, and his wife Ronny. The gardens are open for private events. It was given Grade I status in 1950. A

gazebo A gazebo is a pavilion structure, sometimes octagonal or Gun turret, turret-shaped, often built in a park, garden, or spacious public area. Some are used on occasions as bandstands. In British English, the word is also used for a tent-like can ...

at the far end of the gardens by the

towpath A towpath is a road or trail on the bank of a river, canal, or other inland waterway. The purpose of a towpath is to allow a land vehicle, Working animal, beasts of burden, or a team of human pullers to tow a boat, often a barge. This mod ...

of the Thames was constructed in the mid-eighteenth century and is itself

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 ...

.https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1065352?section=official-list-entry

Bibliography

* Cherry, Bridget & Pevsner, Nikolaus. ''London 2: South''. Yale University Press, 2002. * Cloake, John. ''Cottages and Common Fields of Richmond and Kew: Studies in the Economic and Social History of the Manor of Richmond Up to the Mid-nineteenth Century''. Phillimore, 2001. * Lees-Milne, James. ''English Country Houses: Baroque, 1685–1715''. Country Life Books, 1970. * Rabony, Marc. ''Marconi: The Man Who Networked the World''. Oxford University Press, 2016.

References

{{coord, 51.4607, -0.3096, type:landmark_globe:earth_region:UK, display=title Country houses in London Houses in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames Grade I listed houses in London Grade I listed buildings in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames Richmond Green Richmond, London