Kent House Knightsbridge History
Kent House Knightsbridge has a rich and royal history. The first house was built in 1790 and takes its name from Queen Victoria’s father Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn who installed his mistress of some years’ standing, Madame de St Laurent, and had a tunnel built underneath the road linking the house to Kensington Palace, enabling secret rendezvous.
Unfortunately, like his brothers, most notably the Prince of Wales (later George IV) he was constantly in debt and the house and its contents were put up for auction in July 1808. A few year later Mdm de St Laurent’s relationship with the Duke ended, when she withdrew to a convent in order to clear the way for him to marry in the interested of the succession, which he duly did, going on to have a daughter, the future Queen Victoria.
A series of distinguished statesmen and authors occupied Kent House until it was demolished in 1870 and a new house built partly on the site of the old.
Lady Louisa Ashburton was the first mistress of the second Kent House – the red brick and Portland stone building that stands to this day. As the first person to take a building plot on the estate, Lady Ashburton was allowed to appropriate the name, resonant with royal association, of the former mansion on the site.
Widowed, with a young daughter, Lady Ashburton was rich, independent-minded and intensely interested in art and took a lively interest in the design of the building, though the architect didn’t always welcome her views, describing her as ‘a perfect dingle dousie’.
Kent House remained Lady Ashburton’s London home until her death in 1903 and was then bought in auction by the industrialist Sir Saxton Noble. Noble and his wife (granddaughter of the pioneering railway engineer, Isambard Kingdom Brunel) occupied Kent House until 1940.
Lady Noble transformed the first floor drawing rooms into a remarkable Salon, inviting leading musicians of the day and the famous Les Ballet Russes to perform and celebrated actors and actresses of the day were entertained there. Princess Marie-Louise, great grand-daughter of the Duke of Kent, who gave his name to the original Kent House, was their guest here for a couple of years.
Lady Noble left Kent House in 1940 when, like so many other London landmarks, the needs of war transcended the need for luxury living and the house was let to the Red Cross as a repository for stores. Gradually, the house fell into a state of disrepair and it was not until the 1960s that the third renaissance began.
In recent years Kent House has undergone a remarkable restoration plan, capturing the spirit and essence of the original design and recreating the classical elegance for which the building had always been justifiably renowned. Kent House Knightsbridge, with its beautiful interiors, is now considered among the best of venues for hire in London and hosts exclusive events and celebrations for private individuals and leading brands and businesses.