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Embassy of Italy, London

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Diplomatic mission of Italy in the United Kingdom, located in London

Diplomatic mission
Embassy of Italy in London
LocationMayfair, London
Address14 Three Kings Yard, Davies Street, London, W1K 4EH
Coordinates51°30′42.2″N 0°8′59.6″W / 51.511722°N 0.149889°W / 51.511722; -0.149889
AmbassadorH.E. Inigo Lambertini

The Embassy of Italy in London is the diplomatic mission of Italy in the United Kingdom, located at 4 Grosvenor Square, Mayfair. The Chancery office entrance is located to the rear, at 14 Three Kings Yard, a private cul-de-sac off Davies Street.

History

The house was built about 1728 as part of the development of Grosvenor Square by the Grosvenor family. However, it was not until 10 years later that the lease, the most expensive in the Square, was purchased. The first leaseholder was Francis Howard, 1st Earl of Effingham: he rented the house to Edward Howard, 9th Duke of Norfolk, who lived in it until 1741. In February 1742 Lord Effingham sold the lease for £5,500 to Thomas Watson-Wentworth, 1st Marquess of Rockingham.

Learning in 1865 that the Grosvenor estate required the house to be rebuilt, the tenant Earl Fitzwilliam vacated the property, which was taken over by the architect, Sir Charles James Freake. Unable to find a new occupant for the renovated house, Freake passed the lease back to the Fitzwilliam family in 1872. They remained in occupation until the seventh Earl surrendered his lease in 1931.

In 1931, Italy was granted a lease for 200 years by Hugh Grosvenor, 2nd Duke of Westminster, for £35,000 and £350 per annum. Lord Gerald Wellesley was commissioned to convert the interior into suitable accommodation for the embassy, with marble fittings to suit the Italian art and furnishings. The Embassy had previously occupied 19/20 Grosvenor Square since 1887: that building was demolished in 1933.

Italy also maintains a number of other buildings in the capital: a Consular Section at 83-86 Farringdon Street, Farringdon, a Cultural Section at 39 Belgrave Square, Belgravia, a Defence Section at 7-10 Hobart Place, Belgravia, a Financial Section at 2 Royal Exchange, City of London, and a Trade Commission at 14 Waterloo Place.

Former locations were 35 Queen's Gate, South Kensington, and 20 Grosvenor Square.

Gallery

  • The embassy entrance on Three Kings Yard The embassy entrance on Three Kings Yard
  • Plaque outside the embassy in English and Italian Plaque outside the embassy in English and Italian
  • View of the embassy from Grosvenor Square View of the embassy from Grosvenor Square
  • The Cultural Section on Belgrave Square The Cultural Section on Belgrave Square
  • The Defence Section on Hobart Place The Defence Section on Hobart Place
  • The Consular Section on Farringdon Road The Consular Section on Farringdon Road

See also

References

  1. "Inigo Lambertini is the new Italian Ambassador in London".
  2. ^ "Embassy Headquarters". Ambasciata d'Italia a Londra. Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. Retrieved 5 January 2025.
  3. Stourton. Page 207.
  4. ^ "Grosvenor Square: Individual Houses built before 1926 Survey of London: Volume 40, the Grosvenor Estate in Mayfair, Part 2 (The Buildings)". British History Online. LCC 1980. Retrieved 5 January 2025.
  5. "The Embassy of Italy in London". 27 October 2013.
  6. Stourton. Page 209.
  7. Stourton. Page 209.
  8. "The London Diplomatic List" (PDF). 7 December 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 December 2013.
  9. Herbert Fry, London (W.H. Allen, 1887), p. 254.
  10. Cook's Continental Time Tables and Tourists' Hand Book, Volume 20, Part 1 (Thos. Cook & Son, 1892), p. xxv.

Bibliography

External links

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