Charles William Mills, 2nd Baron Hillingdon (26 January 1855–6 April 1919), was a British banker and Conservative

Conservative Party (UK)

The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...

 politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1885 to 1892.

Mills was the son of Charles Mills, 1st Baron Hillingdon

Charles Mills, 1st Baron Hillingdon

Charles Henry Mills, 1st Baron Hillingdon , known as Sir Charles Mills, 2nd Baronet, from 1872 to 1886, was a British banker and Conservative politician....

, and his wife Lady Louisa Isabella, daughter of Henry Lascelles, 3rd Earl of Harewood

Henry Lascelles, 3rd Earl of Harewood

Henry Lascelles, 3rd Earl of Harewood DL , known as Viscount Lascelles from 1839 to 1841, was a British peer and Member of Parliament....

. He was a lieutenant in the Queen's Own West Kent Yeomanry

Queen's Own West Kent Yeomanry

The Queen's Own West Kent Yeomanry can trace its origins to 1794 when local volunteer troops were raised to assist the civil powers. Each Troop was about 50 strong with three officers , they were required to provide their own uniforms and mounts while the government would supply their arms and...

 and a partner in the banking firm of Glyn, Mills & Co..

Mills was elected the 1885 general election

United Kingdom general election, 1885

-Seats summary:-See also:*List of MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1885*Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885–1918*Representation of the People Act 1884*Redistribution of Seats Act 1885-References:...

, Mills was elected as Member of Parliament

Member of Parliament

A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...

 (MP) for Sevenoaks

Sevenoaks (UK Parliament constituency)

Sevenoaks is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...

, and held the seat until he stood down from the Commons at the 1892 general election

United Kingdom general election, 1892

The 1892 United Kingdom general election was held from 4 July to 26 July 1892. It saw the Conservatives, led by Lord Salisbury, win the greatest number of seats, but not enough for an overall majority as William Ewart Gladstone's Liberals won many more seats than in the 1886 general election...

. In 1898 Charles Mills inherited the title Baron Hillingdon

Baron Hillingdon

Baron Hillingdon, of Hillingdon in the County of Middlesex, was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom held by the Mills family. This family descended from Charles Mills, a Director of the Honourable East India Company and a member of the Council of India. On 17 November 1868 he was created a...

.

In the same year Hillingdon commissioned Edwin Lutyens

Edwin Lutyens

Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens, OM, KCIE, PRA, FRIBA was a British architect who is known for imaginatively adapting traditional architectural styles to the requirements of his era...

, who was then working locally to design Overstrand Hall

Overstrand Hall

Overstrand Hall is a country house in Overstrand, Norfolk, designed by Edwin Lutyens for the 2nd Lord Hillingdon, a partner in Glyn Mills Bank. It was built between 1899 and 1901 and is Grade II listed as of 27 September 1972...

. Work began on Overstrand Hall in 1899 and it was completed by 1901. Nikolaus Pevsner

Nikolaus Pevsner

Sir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner, CBE, FBA was a German-born British scholar of history of art and, especially, of history of architecture...

 considered it one of Lutyens most remarkable buildings but other critics of the day, thought it "lacked the picturesqueness of his best works."

Hillingdon died in April 1919, aged 64, and was succeeded in the barony by his son Arthur.

Hillingdon married the Hon. Alice Marion, daughter of Charles Harbord, 5th Baron Suffield

Charles Harbord, 5th Baron Suffield

Charles Harbord, 5th Baron Suffield GCVO, KCB, PC, JP, DL , was a British peer, courtier and Liberal politician. A close friend of Edward VII, he served as a Lord of the Bedchamber and Lord-in-Waiting to the King...

, in 1886. They were given Overstrand Hall as a wedding present.