OPEN HOUSE 2014: THE ARGENTINE AMBASSADOR’S RESIDENCE IN BELGRAVIA
For those of you reading on-line novel Belgravia by Downton Abbey’s Julian Fellowes, this will give you a few peeks at the neighborhood to supplement the material in the app.
In Belgravia, the atmosphere is quite different. It is primarily a residential neighborhood, though rarely single-family homes, for which these buildings were created. A number of embassies, institutions and apartments are now found here, and the attractive mews, once the home of the horses, carriages and grooms of the Victorian and Edwardian eras, are now quaint houses and condos.
Wikipedia tells us it is a Grade II listed house, first owned by Sidney Herbert, 1st Baron Herbert of Lea, and later by the Duke of Richmond, then the Beit family.
Wikipedia says, “The building was acquired by Argentina in 1936, and has since been used as their Ambassador’s official London residence…In World War II, the house became a meeting place and haven for Argentines who volunteered in the British forces, mostly as pilots.”
By now both Kristine and I had bluddy stubs for feet…and though we tried one more nearby club where the limited spaces had all been filled, we were satisfied with our day. One more flight of stairs and I would have sat down and sobbed.
So, sated with all the sights we had enjoyed, we fumbled our way “home” to Hampstead, grabbed a bite of dinner, and sadly packed for our flights back to the States the next morning.
But, never fear, fellow travelers. Intrepid tour guide extraordinaire, Kristine herself, will be masterminding more tours in the near future. Watch this spot for further information and save your pennies, shillings, and pounds.