The second Viscount Lanesborough, James Lane, built Lanesborough House in 1719 as a country retreat. Back then Hyde Park Corner was on the edge of town and the Viscount carved the following words above the door, “It is my delight to be both in the town and the country.”
Viscount Lanesborough lived here until he died in 1724 at the age of 74, leaving no heirs. Some years later, in 1733 a group of governors from Westminster Hospital rented Lanesborough House to use as a hospital because they believed the country air of Knightsbridge would benefit the patients. The hospital was called St George’s.
By 1745 the number of patients at St George’s reached 250 with an additional 20 nurses. Over the years this number continued to increase steadily until eventually in 1827 a larger building was required. Architect William Wilkins, who also designed the National Gallery, created a new hospital on the same site, although it was no longer so peaceful. Fashionable London had discovered the advantages of the country air. On one side Thomas Cubitt was developing the district of Belgravia; down the road John Nash was remodelling Buckingham Palace and Benjamin Wyatt was revamping Apsley House for the Duke of Wellington. It was also during the 1820s that Constitution Arch was built. The guards who pass through Hyde Park and past Constitution Arch every morning at 10.40am are the Households Cavalry on their way to change guards at Horseguards. This tradition dates from the time when Horseguards was a Palace and was guarded 24 hours a day.
Some years later a fourth floor was added to the hospital and a new wing was built. Florence Nightingale, who became a governor of St George’s Hospital in 1867 insisted that the beds were too close together and was responsible for making these changes. However, by 1980 the board realised that the building was no longer adequate and St George’s moved to Tooting in south London.
In 1990 The Lanesborough opened as a luxury hotel following extensive renovation and redevelopment. The architects and interior designers took extreme care in restoring the building to its 1830s splendour, creating a new steel frame with the old shell and building a new roof. To ensure historical authenticity, the project was overseen by the Royal Fine Arts Commission, the Georgian Society and English Heritage.
Furniture, chandeliers, draperies and fabrics were copied from authentic examples of the 1820s and 1830s. Museum pieces, copybooks, prints and archives were used for reference. What you see today is an outstanding example of neo-classical design and décor.
The Lanesborough is the most successful hotel in London and is managed by St Regis Hotels. Geoffrey Gelardi has been Managing Director of the hotel since it opened.
Source The Lanesborough Hotel London
