Apsley House is the London townhouse of the Dukes of Wellington. It stands alone at Hyde Park Corner, on the south-east corner of Hyde Park, facing towards the large traffic roundabout in the centre of which stands the Wellington Arch. It is a Grade I listed building.
The front of Apsley House in 2005
Apsley House in 1829 by Thomas H. Shepherd. The main gateway to Hyde Park can be glimpsed on the left.
Apsley House next to the gate
The statue of the Duke of Wellington facing Apsley House. Hyde Park Corner to the left.
Townhouse (Great Britain)
In British usage, the term townhouse originally referred to the opulent town or city residence of a member of the nobility or gentry, as opposed to their country seat, generally known as a country house or, colloquially, for the larger ones, stately home. The grandest of the London townhouses were stand-alone buildings, but many were terraced buildings.
Spencer House in St James's, London, one of the last surviving true townhouses still owned by the noble family that built it, the Spencers, although it is now generally leased out commercially. The corresponding country house is Althorp in Northamptonshire.
The Strand front of Northumberland House in 1752 by Canaletto, the townhouse of the Dukes of Northumberland. Note the "Percy Lion" atop the central facade.
Devonshire House, Piccadilly, in 1896
Leicester House on Leicester Fields, 1748
