St John's Lodge, London
St John's Lodge is a Grade II* heritage-listed[1] private residence located in Regent's Park, in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1994 it has been owned by the royal family of Brunei Darussalam[2] and is the London home of Prince Jefri Bolkiah of Brunei.[3] St John's Lodge is located on the Inner Circle of Regent's Park, which until 1965 was in the Metropolitan Borough of St Marylebone and is now part of the City of Westminster.[4]
| St John's Lodge | |
|---|---|
 St John's Lodge, in Regent's Park, London | |
| Location | Inner Circle, Regent's Park, City of Westminster, London, England |
| Coordinates | 51.52957°N 0.15250°W |
| Built | 1812 |
| Built for | Charles Augustus Tulk |
| Architect | John Raffield |
| Owner | Royal family of Brunei Darussalam |
Listed Building – Grade II* | |
| Official name | St John's Lodge, Regent's Park |
| Designated | 5 February 1970 |
| Reference no. | 1277478 |
  Location of St John's Lodge in Greater London | |
History
St John's Lodge is the first villa to be built in Regent's Park in 1812[5] and was designed for Charles Augustus Tulk by architect John Raffield. The Royal Parks service described St John's Lodge and The Holme as the only two villas remaining from John Nash's original conception of Regent's Park,[6] which would have included a royal palace.
Other owners of the lodge have included Lord Wellesley, Sir Isaac Goldsmid, and John Crichton-Stuart, 3rd Marquess of Bute.[7] The residence was occupied by the University of London's Institute of Archaeology from 1937 to 1959, and by the history and classics departments of Bedford College from 1959 to 1983. The adjoining gardens have been open to the public since 1928.[2] St John's Lodge was bought in 1987 by the development company Messila House for GB£9 million who doubled it in size to 35,000 square feet (3,300 m2) before being sold in 1994 to the royal family of Brunei Darussalam for GB£40 million, making it the most expensive private house in the UK.[8]
See also
References
- Historic England. "St John's Lodge, Regent's Park (Grade II*) (1277478)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
- "London Gardens Online". London Gardens Online. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
- "Is the party over for runaway billionaire Prince Jefri of Brunei?". The Daily Telegraph. London. 14 June 2008.
- Westminster Boundary (Map). City of Westminster. 2008. LA 100019597 2008. Retrieved 14 April 2009.
- "Regent'S Park Add". London-footprints.co.uk. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
- Regent's Park: History Royal Parks
- Blair, David Hunter. "John Patrick, Third Marquess of Bute, K.T. A Memoir" – via Internet Archive.
- Spackman, Anne (15 December 1994). "Sultan pays record £40m for park lodge". The Independent. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
Bibliography
- Stourton, James (2012). Great Houses of London (Hardback). London: Frances Lincoln. ISBN 978-0-7112-3366-9.