Lancaster House

Lancaster House
General information
Architectural style	Neo-classical
Location	St James's London, SW1 United Kingdom
Coordinates	51°30′14″N 0°8′21″W / 51.50389°N 0.13917°W / 51.50389; -0.13917
Current tenants	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
Construction started	1825
Completed	1840; 184 years ago (1840)
Owner	HM Government
Technical details
Floor count	Three (plus basement)
Design and construction
Architect(s)	Benjamin Dean Wyatt (interior and exterior) Sir Charles Barry (interior) Sir Robert Smirke (interior)
References
Listed Building – Grade I
Official name	Lancaster House
Designated	5 February 1970
Reference no.	1236546

Lancaster House (originally known as York House and then Stafford House) is a mansion on The Mall in the St James's district in the West End of London. Adjacent to The Green Park, it is next to Clarence House and St James's Palace, as much of the site was once part of the palace grounds. Initially planned for Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany, it was ultimately completed by the Duke of Sutherland, then Marquess of Stafford, as an aristocratic townhouse in the early 19th century, and known for its lavish interiors. Gifted to the government in the early 20th century, it houses the government's wine cellars and was home to the London Museum until World War II. Now used for diplomatic receptions and related functions by the Foreign Office, it is a historic Grade I listed building,^[1] and its interiors are sometimes used in films or television as a stand in for Buckingham Palace.