Harcourt House, London

Harcourt House stands on the west side of Cavendish Square, a site with a history of architectural extremes. The original mansion, built in the early seventeen twenties for Lord Bingley, was a massive stone structure that earned a reputation as the gloomiest house in London. It was famously dour, dark, and heavy, standing as a stark contrast to the lighter townhouses appearing elsewhere in the city at that time. The fifth Duke of Portland, a later resident, took his privacy to a peculiar level. He was a wealthy recluse who became so concerned with his security and solitude that he installed immense glass screens in the back garden. These screens stretched two hundred feet in length and rose eighty feet high to shield his movements from prying eyes. By nineteen hundred and six, the original mansion was demolished, and a new, grand Edwardian apartment block was built in its place. This new building maintained the name Harcourt House and was designed in an impressive style that featured intricate stone carvings, fine joinery, and decorative ironwork. It became a notable location during the First World War when an American resident, Mrs. Dous, transformed her private apartment into an auxiliary hospital for wounded military officers, housing seven beds within her personal residence.