'Arundel House' was a town-house or palace located between
the Strand and the
Thames, near
St Clement Danes.
It was originally the town house of the
Bishops of Bath and Wells, during the
Middle Ages. In 1539 it was given to
William Fitzwilliam, Earl of Southampton. It reverted to the Crown on Fitzwilliam's death and was granted in 1545 to
Thomas Seymour, brother to
Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset, Protector (of the infant
King Edward VI, son of
King Henry VIII). After Seymour's execution in 1549 for treason, the house was sold to
Henry Fitz Alan, 12th Earl of Arundel, for around
£40. It later housed
Thomas Howard's collection of Old Masters and classical sculpture (a 2nd century AD relief from Ephesus kept at the house may be seen in the 17th century gallery at the
Museum of London), and also hosted his protege
Wenceslaus Hollar.
The present Arundel House currently serves as the headquarters for the
International Institute for Strategic Studies.
References
★ Walford, Edward. ''Old London: Strand to Soho.'' London: The Alderman Press, 1987. Orig. publ. 1878. ISBN 0-946619-31-X
★ Weinreb, Ben, and Christopher Hibbert, eds. ''The London Encyclopædia''. 2nd edition (1st ed. 1983). London: Macmillan, 1992. ISBN 0-333-57688-8
External links
★
Hollar's etchings of Arundel House from the North and South, plus the 1647 view of the City from the top of Arundel House
★
Account of Arundel House, with plan of Arundel and Essex Houses