Montagu House, Portman Square

Montagu House was once a grand, freestanding mansion that dominated the northwest corner of Portman Square. It was commissioned in 1775 by the wealthy widow Elizabeth Montagu, a prominent literary figure and the leading spirit of the Bluestocking Society. The house was designed by the architect James Stuart and served as the epicenter for intellectual gatherings where fashion and gambling were strictly forbidden in favor of philosophical conversation and literature.