The Lansdowne Club

Lansdowne House (formerly Shelburne House) was designed by Robert Adam for the 3rd Earl of Bute. Construction started in 1762 and it was sold unfinished 3 years later to William Petty, 2nd Earl of Shelburne and 1st Marquess of Lansdowne, who then completed building. Lady Shelburne threw herself into the task of completing the internal decoration, constantly consulting with Robert Adam.  

In 1933, Westminster County Council decided to connect Berkely Square and Curzon Street. This resulted in the cutting off of the whole front of Lansdowne House to a depth of forty feet. The original Adam Portland stone façade of the house was eventually

replaced on to the truncated building. 

Two rooms were shipped to the United States: The First Drawing Room was acquired by the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Great Eating Room by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Both have been beautifully restored and may be viewed today.

The House was initially intended to be the new base of The Bruton Club. This Club was formed in 1929 with premises in Bruton Street. It was intended as a “stage nursery” with a theatre to stage the work of new and established playwrights, as well as housing an art gallery and roof garden. 

Located at Lady Evelyn Mason’s house at 16 Bruton Street on the corner with Berkely Square, it had developed from the Playgoers Club which was formed in 1884 and included Jerome K Jerome as a founder member. 

That corner of Bruton Street was scheduled for redevelopment and in the late 1930s was demolished and rebuilt as Berkeley Square House.

When Lansdowne House was first offered for sale in 1929, an American developer, Benson Greenhall, submitted a planning

application to redevelop the site and erect a fifteen story “skyscraper”. Public outrage followed and Westminster City Council subsequently refused planning permission. The Bruton Club purchased the property in 1930.

 The financing of the Club was achieved by raising £75,000 of share capital from its members on the expectation of a 7.5%

dividend. When the dividend did not materialize, The Bruton Club sold the freehold of the building to the London Assurance Company (later absorbed by Sun Alliance) for £146,250. At which point the name of the Club was changed to The Lansdowne Club and the building was rented under a long lease expiring in 2034. This lease was eventually bought out by The Lansdowne Club giving it freehold ownership.

Generally referred to as Lord Shelburne, Petty was born in Dublin in 1737 and entered the House of Commons in 1761 at the age of 24 after distinguishing himself in the Seven Years' War. He was soon appointed First Lord of the Treasury.

In 1782, Lord Shelburne worked with Benjamin Franklin to draft the Treaty of Paris that recognized American independence from Great Britain.

The discussions over the Treaty took place at the Lansdowne House in what is now the Round Room. The Treaty was formally ratified in 1783.

Created Marquess in 1794, Lord Shelburne withdrew from public office and concentrated on building an impressive manuscript, painting, and sculpture collection. On his death in 1805 his manuscript collection was sold to the British Museum.

The Lansdowne Club will be hosting a special event highlighting the history of Lansdowne House and the role it played in American Independence. 

This celebration of the Club's trans-Atlantic links will take place on 22nd May. It will include talks from Professor Andrew O'Shaughnessy, Professor Kevin Weddle, Professor Eliga Gould, and Dr. Lizzie Rogers. 

To reserve your seat for this event or for any questions, please click the button below to contact the Club.