5st James Square London
5 St. JAMES SQUARE
LONDON
The decorative plasterwork interiors of 5 St James Square known as Wentworth House exists in its original ornament as built by Architect Matthew Brettingham - The Elder in 1748-51 for William Wentworth The Second Earl of Stafford. The design is based on The Strangers Wing at Holkham Hall where Brettingham also worked. We know from house records that the original plasterer, William Perritt, submitted an estimate of £630 which was 'settled at £570'. Whilst the front elevation was resurfaced in Portland Stone in 1854 by the renowned Thomas Cubitt fashionable French Rococo style interiors were added to the First Floor Reception Rooms.
The property was occupied in April 1984 as The Libyan Bureau. During a protest outside the building British Officer WPC Yvonne Fletcher was fatally shot. In November that year a fire in the building that was "not considered to be suspicious in any way" preceded a refurbishment of the property.
During 2014 many elements of the 1984 refurbishment were removed and the building restored to its original Georgian glory. Researching and respecting the buildings understated elegant eighteenth century style and fabric, whilst embracing its nineteenth century decorative glory and maintaining a strict historical approach in detail and finish to the highest quality stands 5 St James Square in fantastic shape into the next century.
