Only a fragment remains of one of the great houses of the Georgian and Regency periods in London: Holland House.
Holland House evolved from the original Cope Castle, built in 1605 for Sir Walter Cope by architect John Thorpe on a 500 hundred-acre parcel of once rural land, now within London. His daughter Isabel inherited the house and lived there with her husband, Henry Rich, who was named 1st Earl of Holland. Then known as Holland House, the house descended through minor branches of the family until 1768 when it came into the possession of Henry Fox, a leading Whig in Parliament, after which Fox was named Baron Holland. Below, Holland House in 1815.
Holland House was built in the early 17th century, a Jacobean design. The Luftwaffe destroyed the house in 1940, and the remains, now Grade 1 listed, have been made into a hostel and venue for entertainments in what remains of Holland Park.
Apparently, after the German attack, much of the library continued to serve browsers. Below, a comparison of Holland House in 1896 and 2014.
I understand that the once-thriving hostel is now being adapted for other purposes, but the news is sketchy. On the other hand, the gardens are used by many and include an opera theatre, restaurants, and sports facilities. Below, two views I took of the remains of the house and a slice of the garden in 2017.
Below, several photographs of the house's interior from 1907. Left, the China Room; middle, Gilded Room; right, the Library.
Holland House, 1907.
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