Gwydyr House
Encyclopedia
Gwydyr House is a Grade I listed mansion in Whitehall
, and is the London
headquarters of the Wales Office
. The house lies on the eastern side of the street, opposite Dover House
.
of Beckenham, Kent, in 1772 at an estimated cost of £6,000. The house is named after his son, also called Peter Burrell, who was created 1st Baron Gwydyr
in 1769. It remained privately owned until 1835 when the house became unoccupied. Between 1838 and 1840 the premises served as temporary accommodation for the Reform Club
. Since 1871 Gwydyr House has been used for official purposes.
, Peter Hain
, unveiled a plaque in Gwydyr House in March 2007 to mark the bicentenary of the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act of 1807.
Later in the nineteenth century, Gwydyr House was occupied by the Board of Health, the Poor Law Board
and the Charity Commission
. Since 1971, the premises have been occupied by the Welsh Office
, now the Wales Office
.
'Britcom' Yes Minister
. In the pilot episode Open Government, protagonist and Minister for Administrative Affairs, Jim Hacker MP
, can be clearly seen entering the oak doors opposite Dover House
on Whitehall
. The minister's office features a large Palladian window which offers a view of the chimney's of a Georgian
home. This window is a copy of the Palladian window over the door of Gwydyr House and offers a comparable view of the chimneys of the listed Georgian mansion Dover House opposite.
Whitehall
Whitehall is a road in Westminster, in London, England. It is the main artery running north from Parliament Square, towards Charing Cross at the southern end of Trafalgar Square...
, and is the London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
headquarters of the Wales Office
Wales Office
The Wales Office / Swyddfa Cymru is a United Kingdom government department. It replaced the former Welsh Office, which had extensive responsibility for governing Wales prior to Welsh devolution in 1999....
. The house lies on the eastern side of the street, opposite Dover House
Dover House
Dover House is a Grade I-listed mansion in Whitehall, and the London headquarters of the Scotland Office. It is on the western side of the street immediately south of Admiralty House...
.
History
Gwydyr House was built for Peter BurrellPeter Burrell
Peter Burrell may refer to:*Peter Burrell , his son, British MP for Haslemere and Dover*Peter Burrell , his son, British MP for Launceston and Totnes...
of Beckenham, Kent, in 1772 at an estimated cost of £6,000. The house is named after his son, also called Peter Burrell, who was created 1st Baron Gwydyr
Baron Gwydyr
Baron Gwydyr, in the County of Carnarvon, was a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created on 16 June 1796 for Sir Peter Burrell, 2nd Baronet, who had earlier represented Boston and Haslemere in the House of Commons...
in 1769. It remained privately owned until 1835 when the house became unoccupied. Between 1838 and 1840 the premises served as temporary accommodation for the Reform Club
Reform Club
The Reform Club is a gentlemen's club on the south side of Pall Mall, in central London. Originally for men only, it changed to include the admission of women in 1981. In 2011 the subscription for membership of the Reform Club as a full UK member is £1,344.00, with a one-off entrance fee of £875.00...
. Since 1871 Gwydyr House has been used for official purposes.
Government use
Amongst the earliest official occupants of Gwydyr House were the Commission of Fine Arts, the Commission of Revenue Inquiry and the Commission of Slave Compensation. The Secretary of State for WalesSecretary of State for Wales
The Secretary of State for Wales is the head of the Wales Office within the British cabinet. He or she is responsible for ensuring Welsh interests are taken into account by the government, representing the government within Wales and overseeing the passing of legislation which is only for Wales...
, Peter Hain
Peter Hain
Peter Gerald Hain is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for the Welsh constituency of Neath since 1991, and has served in the Cabinets of both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, firstly as Leader of the House of Commons under Blair and both Secretary of State for...
, unveiled a plaque in Gwydyr House in March 2007 to mark the bicentenary of the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act of 1807.
Later in the nineteenth century, Gwydyr House was occupied by the Board of Health, the Poor Law Board
Poor Law Board
The Poor Law Board was established in the United Kingdom in 1847 as a successor body to the Poor Law Commission overseeing the administration of the 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act...
and the Charity Commission
Charity Commission
The Charity Commission for England and Wales is the non-ministerial government department that regulates registered charities in England and Wales....
. Since 1971, the premises have been occupied by the Welsh Office
Welsh Office
The Welsh Office was a department in the Government of the United Kingdom with responsibilities for Wales. It was established in April 1965 to execute government policy in Wales, and was headed by the Secretary of State for Wales, a post which had been created in October 1964...
, now the Wales Office
Wales Office
The Wales Office / Swyddfa Cymru is a United Kingdom government department. It replaced the former Welsh Office, which had extensive responsibility for governing Wales prior to Welsh devolution in 1999....
.
On television
Gwydyr House is the location of the fictional Department for Administrative Affairs in the BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
'Britcom' Yes Minister
Yes Minister
Yes Minister is a satirical British sitcom written by Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn that was first transmitted by BBC Television between 1980–1982 and 1984, split over three seven-episode series. The sequel, Yes, Prime Minister, ran from 1986 to 1988. In total there were 38 episodes—of which all but...
. In the pilot episode Open Government, protagonist and Minister for Administrative Affairs, Jim Hacker MP
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,...
, can be clearly seen entering the oak doors opposite Dover House
Dover House
Dover House is a Grade I-listed mansion in Whitehall, and the London headquarters of the Scotland Office. It is on the western side of the street immediately south of Admiralty House...
on Whitehall
Whitehall
Whitehall is a road in Westminster, in London, England. It is the main artery running north from Parliament Square, towards Charing Cross at the southern end of Trafalgar Square...
. The minister's office features a large Palladian window which offers a view of the chimney's of a Georgian
Georgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
home. This window is a copy of the Palladian window over the door of Gwydyr House and offers a comparable view of the chimneys of the listed Georgian mansion Dover House opposite.
External links
- Gwydyr House page from the Survey of LondonSurvey of LondonThe Survey of London is a research project to produce a comprehensive architectural survey of the former County of London. It was founded in 1894 by Charles Robert Ashbee, an Arts-and-Crafts architect and social thinker, and was motivated by a desire to record and preserve London's ancient monuments...
- Information about Gwydyr House on the Wales Office's website