Lauderdale House was one of the finest
country houses in Highgate and was originally built for
Richard Martin (Lord Mayor of London) in 1582 with a timber frame. In the early 17th Century it was occupied by
Sir Henry Hobart, who in 1616 had built
Blickling Hall, Norfolk, now a
National Trust property. The house was bought by
Henrietta Maria's silkman
William Geere, who sold it to
Mary, Countess of Home. She extended the house. In 1645 it came to
Earl of Lauderdale (hence its name) as his wife
Anne Home's inheritance. She thought the weight of Lauderdale's extensive library might damage the house. The library was worth £4,000 according to an estimate in her will. In 1666, Lauderdale House was visited by
Charles II and
Samuel Pepys, while
Nell Gwyn is said to have lived there briefly in 1670. It was later the home of the Lord Mayor of London,
Sir William Pritchard. It was converted to a
neoclassical style in 1760, and
John Wesley preached here in 1782. For some time it was the home of
James Yates, antiquary and
Unitarian, who retired there to spend years of "learned leisure" amidst "a noble library and a fine collection of works of art". He died there in 1871. The house became a convalescent home for
St. Bartholomew's hospital in 1872. ==References==