Continuing my theme of Great Houses – I present not one Montagu House, but several.
Montagu House, Bloomsbury Sq (House 1)
Bloomsbury was a fashionable part of northern London and between 1675 and 1679, Ralph Montagu, first Duke of Montagu, built a house designed by Robert Hooke. In 1686, it was destroyed by fire.
Montagu House, Bloomsbury Sq (House 2)
The replacement house was grander and French in design. The main facade had 17 bays and the roof a central dome. However, Bloomsbury was in decline by the early 1700s. The Duke relocated to another part of the city and sold the house to the Trustees of the British Museum in 1759. In 1840 it was demolished to make way for the current museum building.
Montagu House, Whitehall (House 3)
The second duke having left Bloomsbury built a house in Whitehall nearer the river. Guess what? It was replaced.
Montagu House, Whitehall (House 4)
In the late 1850s, the Duke of Buccleuch, a descendant of the Montagu dukes, replaced the Georgian house with a mansion in the style of a chateau using Portland stone. Being one of the richest men in country, he filled it with Rembrandts and Rubens and other collections, including royal miniatures. In 1917 the house was acquired by the government and in 1950 it was demolished and in its place is a Ministry of Defence’s building.
Montagu House, Portman Square (House 5)
Nothing to do with the duke, this house was built in 1777 by the wealthy widow and patron of the arts Mrs Elizabeth Montagu. It was destroyed in the blitz during WW2.
Montagu House, Blackheath (House 6)
The country residence of the 1st Duke of Montagu, built in Greenwich Park overlooking Blackheath Common. Its occupants included Ignatius Santos, a former slaver and writer, who served as butler for the second duke from 1749 to 1751. He returned in 1766 to act as valet to the duke’s son-in-law.
The other famous inhabitant was Caroline of Brunswick, the estranged wife of the Prince Regent and later King George IV. The prince hated her and he was already illegally married to Maria Fitzherbert, a catholic. George and Caroline produced a daughter nine months after their marriage – Princess Charlotte of Wales – their only child (Charlotte died in childbirth in 1817 and as a result paved the way for Victoria to come to the throne).
They separated and Caroline supposedly had lovers and an illegitimate child. A secret investigation was conducted in 1806, known as the ‘delicate investigation’ and it cleared her name. The public sympathesized with Caroline and her accusers, her next door neighbours, Sir John and Lady Douglas, were ridiculed in a cartoon set outside Montagu House.
George didn’t want her to be queen so he tried to divorce her using a bill that would mean publically accusing Caroline of adultery, and allowing the Lords and Houses of Commons to debate in public and find her guilty. The bill was passed after a salacious reading, but due to the small majority and public unrest (the people loved Caroline and hated George), it was withdrawn. George barred her from attending his coronation and she died three weeks later.
And Montagu House? Demolished in 1815. Plaques commemorate Sancho and Caroline are set in a nearby wall.
My advice: don’t name your house Montagu.
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The Quiet Writer 
Montagu does seem to be an unlucky name for a house. Poor Caroline.
Sophie
Sophie’s A to Z – Ghostly Inspirations
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Poor Caroline indeed!
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I’m glad there are still pictures/etchings to show what the house looked like. It’s an interesting thing that houses seem to carry a “spirit” about them. This one seems to be a tragic one.
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I couldn’t find any pictures of the first Montagu House, which is a shame, because it would have made a complete collection.
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“…don’t name your house Montagu.”
Or your car. Or your dog. Or your liver.
So noted!
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lol. It’s a banned name now!
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Hello, fellow A-to-Zer! Also? What a fascinating theme. Also? Bad Prince Regent! His reputation seems to have been well-earned.
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The Prince Regent had a terrible reputation, but he was very loyal to his mistress, marrying her in secret. Poor Caroline didn’t stand a chance with him.
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Clearly Montagu is not a good name for a house. What a sad series of events. Weekends In Maine
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I chose Montagu house in Bloomsbury because of its connection with the British Museum and uncovered this sad history of destroyed houses.
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This is all new to me! I’m worried about even visiting a Montague House now!
A-Z of My Friend Rosey!
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I’m not sure if there are any Mongatu houses left to visit!
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Now you see…this is what the blog #Challenge is about. Finding your blog, which I am now following. You’ve done great research, the presentation/clarity making it easy to read. Love the subjects. I’ve looked at dozens of blogs where you can’t leave a comment or know what the heck it is all about. Finding this makes all the trolling through the blogs on the participants list worthwhile. Congratulations on your blog so well done. If you have time or interest, I am writing about BOOKSTORES: their architecture, location and good people who sell books, one of my passions. Looking forward to getting my e-mail notices that you have posted once again. Cheers.
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Thank you – I try to keep the posts short and varied. I took a look at your blog and enjoyed reading all your posts, especially about Hay on Wye and Tottenham Court Road (I lived in London and walked up and down that street numerous times).
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Oh house, house, wherefore art thou Montagu?
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[…] the letter M I told the sad tale of six houses called Montagu. This time I have two Ufford Halls and thankfully, they are still […]
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