Apsley House

About Apsley House

London townhouse of the Dukes of Wellington

Apsley House, historically known as Number One, London, is the London townhouse of the Dukes of Wellington, standing alone at Hyde Park Corner on the south-east corner of Hyde Park, facing the large roundabout in whose centre stands the Wellington Arch; it is a Grade I listed building. Designed by Robert Adam in the neoclassical style and built for Lord Apsley between 1771 and 1778, it was bought by Richard Wellesley in 1807 and passed in 1817 to his younger brother Arthur, the 1st Duke of Wellington and victor of Waterloo, and it is perhaps the only preserved example of an English aristocratic townhouse of the period. Officially designated the Wellington Museum under the Wellington Museum Act 1947 and run by English Heritage, most of the house is open to the public as a museum and art gallery exhibiting the Wellington Collection: paintings by masters such as Velázquez, Goya and Rubens, sculptures, medals, swords, royal gifts, lavish dinner services and memorabilia of the 1st Duke's career, the most curious item being Canova's colossal nude statue of Napoleon, commissioned by the emperor himself and bought by the British government after his defeat as a gift for the duke. The great Waterloo Gallery is the heart of the house, where the duke held his annual banquet commemorating the battle. The 9th Duke retains a private apartment in the northern half of the ground floor, and the public rooms are kept as far as possible in the original decor of the 1st Duke.

Where:

London, United Kingdom