Marlborough House With Enclosing Forecourt Walls And East Service/Stable Wing

Marlborough House is a town mansion and “hotel particulier” built between 1707 and 1711 by Sir Christopher Wren for the first Duke of Marlborough. Significant internal alterations were carried out between 1771 and 1774 by Sir William Chambers, and further alterations and extensions to the north and east were undertaken between 1861 and 1863 by Sir James Pennethorne for Edward, Prince of Wales. The building is constructed of red brick with stone dressings and quoin pilasters. The two attic storeys and the stable and outbuilding ranges to the east are also by Pennethorne. The façade is 13 bays wide with heightened flanking wings to the forecourt, and includes a porte cochere added by Pennethorne in the centre. The forecourt is enclosed by an ornamental boundary wall, culminating on the north axis in an architectural feature including an arched recess and pediments. The garden front also has 13 bays, with slightly advanced three-bay wings. The interior is of significant importance, featuring an original saloon flanked by a staircase. The staircase is frescoed by Laguerrre, and there are chimney pieces by Chambers, representing late 18th-century work undertaken for the 3rd Duke of Marlborough, and later for the Crown and the Prince of Wales.