Whitehall, Westminster
London
England
Circa Date: 1754-58 w/late 18th century & mid-19th century alterations and additions
Status: Fully Extant
House Open to Public: No
Country House: No (Townhouse)
The House from an 1829 print. Paine's house is in the background, with Holland's dome and entrance portico in the foreground.
Built / Designed For: Sir Matthew Fetherstonhaugh, Bt.
House & Family History: Originally designed as Fetherstonhaugh House by James Paine for Sir Matthew Fetherstonhaugh, Bt., MP, in the 1750s, Dover House was sold by his widow circa 1776. Prince Frederick, Duke of York (son of George III), purchased the House in December 1787 and promptly renamed it York House (something he was to do again when he purchased Melbourne House in Piccadilly in 1792; the name appeared again when the duke began to build today's Lancaster House, St. James's). Frederick engaged Henry Holland to update and enlarge York House in the fashionable Neoclassical style. Renamed Dover House in the 1830s (after the last private owner, George James Welbore Agar-Ellis, Lord Dover), the House has served as the government's Scotland Office since Lord Dover's family vacated in 1885. Dover House's rotunda, designed by Henry Holland and inserted into the former forecourt, is unique as the entrance to a London mansion.
Architect: John Peter Deering (Gandy)
Date: Circa 1827Architect: Henry Holland
Date: 1787-92Architect: James Paine Sr.
Date: 1754-58
Title: Architect King: George III and the Culture of the Enlightenment, The
Author: Watkin, David
Year Published: 2004
Reference: pgs. 197-198
Publisher: London: Royal Collection Publications
ISBN: 0902163508
Book Type: Hardback
Title: Biographical Dictionary of British Architects, 1600-1840, A - SOFTBACK
Author: Colvin, Howard
Year Published: 1995
Reference: pgs. 388, 503, 724, 1136
Publisher: New Haven: Yale University Press
ISBN: 0300072074
Book Type: Softback
Title: Blue Guide: London
Author: Woodley, Roger
Year Published: 2002
Publisher: London: A&C Black
ISBN: 0713648899
Book Type: Softback
House Listed: Grade I
Park Listed: No Park
Past Seat / Home of: Sir Matthew Fetherstonhaugh, Bt., 1758-76. Prince Frederick, Duke of York, late 18th century. Peniston Lamb, 1st Viscount Melbourne, 19th century; Melbourne family here from 1793 until 1830. George James Welbore Agar-Ellis, 1st Baron Dover, 19th century; Agar-Ellis family here from 1830 until 1885.
Current Ownership Type: Government
Primary Current Ownership Use: Offices
Ownership Details: Today headquarters of the Scotland Office (since 1885), the Office of the Advocate General for Scotland, and the Independent Commission for Aid Impact.
House Open to Public: No
Historic Houses Member: No