Apsley House

Apsley House was the London home of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, famed for defeating Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo. The home today serves as a museum dedicated to the man and his accomplishments, with the wonderfully maintained and strikingly decorated mansion showcasing his extensive collection of fine art, a wealth of memorabilia from his military campaigns and a huge amount of information of the duke’s military and political careers.

Apsley House was built by famed and fashionable architect Robert Adam between 1771 and 1778. It was created for Lord Chancellor Henry, 1st Baron Apsley (later 2nd Earl Bathurst) at the entrance to Hyde Park. It was known as Number 1, London because it was the first house encountered by visitors coming from the west and through the toll gates at Knightsbridge.

Following his momentous victory at the Battle of Waterloo, defeating Napoleon and ending the Napoleonic Wars, Sir Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington purchased the house. He needed a London base as he began his career in Westminster politics, a career which would see him twice become Prime Minister, first between 1828 and 1830, then again for just shy of a month in 1834.

Having been ennobled as Duke of Wellington, following his many victories in the Peninsular and Napoleonic wars, Wellesley was given £700,000 by Parliament, with a view to him building a new ‘Waterloo Palace’. The Duke of Wellington’s older brother owned Apsley House at the time but was in danger of losing it because of a bout of financial difficulties. Instead of building a new palace for himself, the younger Wellesley put in an anonymous bid to purchase Apsley House. The deal went through, he eased his brother’s mounting financial difficulties, and had a ready-made mansion fit for his new aristocratic and political life.

Apsley House grew under Wellington, who commissioned his former secretary Benjamin Dean Wyatt to expand the property. A three-storey extension was added to the northeast, featuring the stunning State Dining Room, new bedrooms and dressing rooms. In 1828, a brand new staircase and the opulent, striking Waterloo Gallery were added to Apsley House. After the home’s windows were smashed during riots, the duke put in iron shutters and railings to protect Apsley. Rather than his military prowess, personality and politics, it is believed that it is from this incident that Wellesley first gained the nickname, The Iron Duke.

The duke used the 28 metre Waterloo Gallery to showcase his growing collection of art. Many of the pieces were gifted to the Duke of Wellington by European rulers, their grand gestures of thanks for defeating Napoleon. His collection is still on display today, and is a highlight of Apsley House, along with the striking interiors of this well-maintained aristocratic mansion and a wealth of trophies, memorabilia, medals and weapons belonging to the celebrated duke.

Today, part of Apsley House provides a home for the current Duke of Wellington. It is London’s only aristocratic townhouse still in use today. The rest of Apsley opened as a museum in 1952. It is laid out to reflect how it looked during the time of the first Duke of Wellington’s residence.