Mansion House
Bank junction
London
EC4N 8BH
Visitor Information
Architect: George Dance the Elder
Built: 1752
Until the mid-18th century, Lord Mayors used their own houses or livery (Guild) halls for their work. The idea of creating a permanent residence arose after the Great Fire of 1666. But it was almost three quarters of a century later that the architect and Clerk of the City's Work, George Dance the Elder, was chosen to design and build The Mansion House. The first stone was laid in 1739 but it was not until 1758 that work was completed.
The Mansion House is at the heart of the City, above Bank tube station and on the site of a former livestock market. It shares a five-way junction with the Royal Exchange, the Bank of England and Hawksmoor's St Mary Woolnoth. With the exception of Queen Victoria Street, all the streets nearby (Cheapside, Cornhill, Poultry) are Roman.
Imposingly Palladian in style, it is faced by a grand temple portico made from Portland stone, approached by flights of steps each side. The sides were closely bounded by other buildings which deprived the lower floors of adequate daylight, hence Dance’s inclusion of a first-floor courtyard, later to form the salon and the Egyptian Hall. The second floor has a ballroom and private apartments and the third and fourth floors contain staff rooms. The cellars have storage space and once held prisoners' cells, reflecting the former use of the Mansion House as the Lord Mayor's Court.
Whilst Mansion House retains much of its original character, there have been changes. Dance's son, George Dance the Younger, removed one of two unsafe roof pavilions in 1795. The other was removed in 1846 when, at the same time, the main entrance to the house was moved to the side, after road works narrowed the esplanade up the steps at the front. There were also refurbishments in the 1860s, 1930s and in 1991-93.