Admiralty House Whitehall sw1

Admiralty House is entered from the Admiralty courtyard and was built in 1786-91 by Samuel Pepy’s Cockerell as a rear extension of the  first lord of the Admiralty’s residence. It is set back from Whitehall and it’s main front is towards Horse Guards Parade; it is of yellow brick with three bay’s.

Inside there’s  an iron stove in the stair hall,ornamented with the rostra (beaks) of Roman Ships and marble chimneypieces from elsewhere, of which the best are from John James’s Wricklemarsh House, Blackheath (1727) demolished in 1787.

Among the first Lords of the Admiralty who have used the house are Earl Grey (1806) Thomas Grenville (1806-7, The Duke of Clarence, afterwards William IV (1827-8, lord Tweedmouth (1905-8, Winston Churchill (1911-15 and 1939-40, A.J.Balfour (1915-16,Austin Chamberlain (1931) and Duff Cooper (1937-8.

Ref  The London Encyclopaedia  Third Edition p9