48 Belgrave Square
Encyclopedia
48 Belgrave Square is a London Town House situated on the North East Terrace of Belgrave Square
near to Grosvenor Crescent, until 2009 it held the record for the longest family ownership of any house on Belgrave Square
, with almost 170 years of ownership.
in 1890 who continued to live there until her death in 1945. During Mrs Sarah Winter's ownership the house, under the name Hamilton House was the setting for some of London's biggest social events, the annual Hamilton House Christmas Ball was a key feature in the London social calendar. The house was also linked to huge controversy in the run up to the Second World War, Mrs Winter, a known Nazi supporter, used the house as a way of raising money for the Anglo-German Fellowship
, Mrs Winter once said in a letter questioning her about her activities:
Mrs Winter caused greater controversy however in March 1938, after the Anschluss
, when she instructed her staff to fly the Nazi flag from the house, this caused great offence to many people and after a telephone call from the then Foreign Secretary, Viscount Halifax it was removed, however Mrs Winter continued to fly it at her country house in Shropshire.
The house was not retained after the war instead being rented out, the family retained a flat in the service part of the house.
Belgrave Square
Belgrave Square is one of the grandest and largest 19th century squares in London, England. It is the centrepiece of Belgravia, and was laid out by the property contractor Thomas Cubitt for the 2nd Earl Grosvenor, later the 1st Marquess of Westminster, in the 1820s. Most of the houses were occupied...
near to Grosvenor Crescent, until 2009 it held the record for the longest family ownership of any house on Belgrave Square
Belgrave Square
Belgrave Square is one of the grandest and largest 19th century squares in London, England. It is the centrepiece of Belgravia, and was laid out by the property contractor Thomas Cubitt for the 2nd Earl Grosvenor, later the 1st Marquess of Westminster, in the 1820s. Most of the houses were occupied...
, with almost 170 years of ownership.
History
The house was bought in 1840 by Col. Christopher Hamilton MP from the Grosvenor Estate and was the Hamilton family's main London house, the house eventually passed to his granddaughter Sarah WinterSarah Winter
Sarah Winter née Domville-Taylor was a noted British Nazi Supporter and member of the British Union of Facists, as well as a noted Society hostess throughout the 1920s and 1930s....
in 1890 who continued to live there until her death in 1945. During Mrs Sarah Winter's ownership the house, under the name Hamilton House was the setting for some of London's biggest social events, the annual Hamilton House Christmas Ball was a key feature in the London social calendar. The house was also linked to huge controversy in the run up to the Second World War, Mrs Winter, a known Nazi supporter, used the house as a way of raising money for the Anglo-German Fellowship
Anglo-German Fellowship
The Anglo-German Fellowship was a group which existed from 1935 to 1939 and aimed to build up friendship between the United Kingdom and Germany; it was widely perceived as being allied to Nazism...
, Mrs Winter once said in a letter questioning her about her activities:
Mrs Winter caused greater controversy however in March 1938, after the Anschluss
Anschluss
The Anschluss , also known as the ', was the occupation and annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany in 1938....
, when she instructed her staff to fly the Nazi flag from the house, this caused great offence to many people and after a telephone call from the then Foreign Secretary, Viscount Halifax it was removed, however Mrs Winter continued to fly it at her country house in Shropshire.
The house was not retained after the war instead being rented out, the family retained a flat in the service part of the house.