Lowther Lodge

Lowther Lodge is a house in South Kensington, London, England, immediately south of Hyde Park, which has housed the Royal Geographical Society since 1912.

For other uses, see Lowther (disambiguation).

Lowther Lodge designed by Richard Norman Shaw

History

Lowther Lodge was designed by Richard Norman Shaw and built between approximately 1872 and 1875. The client was William Lowther, an MP who was a nephew of the Earl of Lonsdale, the head of the Lowther landowning family of Westmorland and Cumberland.

The extension and exhibition space, seen from Exhibition Road

After Lowther died in 1912, his son sold the house[1] to the Royal Geographical Society. The Society converted the building into its headquarters and commissioned extensions, including the Society's lecture theatre, from G. L. Kennedy and F. B. Nightingale in 1928 to 1930. A further extension, including a new exhibition space, reading room and storage area for the Society's collections, was completed in 2004.

Architecture

The building is an important example of Victorian Queen Anne architecture, with gothic influences. The building is also notable for having one of the first passenger lifts in a private house. It is a Grade II* listed building.[2]

See also

References
  1. "Royal Geographical Society". Royal Institute of British Architects. Archived from the original on 18 January 2012. Retrieved 15 December 2010.
  2. Historic England. "Grade II* (1217774)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 13 May 2009.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.