Wren's vision (1693)

The story of our building begins after a fire burnt down the previous building on this site in 1684. In 1693 the Treasury asked leading architect Sir Christopher Wren - best known for St Paul’s Cathedral - to redesign the premises for the Lord Keeper of the Great Seal, John Somers, who went on to become Lord Chancellor. Wren described the existing building as “very imperfect” and produced a new design costing £1,030 - a considerable sum at the time.

This marked the beginning of the building’s formal role in British public life, and laid the foundations for its lasting architectural importance.

Vanbrugh’s interiors and the Peacock Room (1711–15)

In 1711, the house was bought by Thomas Pelham-Holles, the 1st Duke of Newcastle, who would later serve two terms as Prime Minister. He engaged Sir John Vanbrugh - architect of Blenheim Palace - to redesign the interiors.

Vanbrugh added a number of features still visible today, including redesigning the Peacock Room, named for the decorative plasterwork inspired by the Duke’s family crest. The Duke was so attached to the house that he preferred it to 10 Downing Street, making it the seat of government during his premiership - and purportedly throwing some very lavish parties during his tenure here too!

Among the best known of the Peacock room’s historical significances, the Charter of the Bank of England was sealed here in 1694, while occupied by the Lord Keeper, demonstrating the building’s role at the centre of politics and finance.

Farrer & Co - Move to 66 Lincoln's Inn Fields (1790)

In 1790, James Farrer purchased the southern half of the house at 66 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, establishing what would become the firm’s long-standing home. By that point, the building - still often known as Newcastle House - already carried deep associations with political life, architectural ambition and national institutions.

The Farrer family reunites the house (1904)

In 1904, Sir William Farrer - senior partner in the firm - bought the northern section of the property, reuniting it with the southern half for the first time in over a century.

Sir William also played an active role in debates surrounding the redevelopment of the area, including the creation of Kingsway just behind our site (and which involved the removal of the garden and rear part of the original building).

After his death, the house passed to his three bachelor sons, two of whom were partners in the firm. The third, Gaspard Farrer, became a partner at Barings Bank and a major philanthropist. His most famous act of generosity came in 1927, when he created the National Fund with a £500,000 gift - an endowment whose interpretation would still be debated in the courts nearly a century later.

All three brothers were devoted patrons of Sir Edwin Lutyens, another leading architect of the time, commissioning him to design both their London townhouse (7 St James’s Square) and their country home (The Salutation in Sandwich, Kent) - now considered one of Lutyens’ finest works.