Cardigan House onRichmond Hill,Surrey, now inLondon, was acountry house constructed between 1791 and 1793 by the architectRobert Mylne for the wealthypublisherRobert Sayer. In 1794 it was rented by the Duke of Clarence, later to becomeWilliam IV, who lived there until 1797 with his mistress the Irish actressDorothea Jordan and their children.[1] It then passed into the hands of theEarls of Cardigan as acountry retreat in what was still a rural area. Another large property, Lansdowne House, was located nearby.[2] It should not be confused with Cardigan House inLincoln's Inn Fields, the Londontownhouse of the Earls.
In 1817Lady Cardigan, wife ofthe sixth Earl, hosted a birthday celebration for the Prince Regent (laterGeorge IV) at Cardigan House. The scene was depicted in an 1819 paintingEngland: Richmond Hill, on the Prince Regent's Birthday by the artistJ. M. W. Turner.[3]
When the 6th Earl died, the house was purchased by Mrs Sarah Roberts (1777–1866), daughter of Thomas Roberts, Master of theMerchant Taylors Company.[4] She had been the house's tenant since the 1820s, and lived there until her death.[5]
In 1925 the house was purchased by theBritish Legion for expansion of thePoppy Factory onPetersham Road. It was demolished in 1970.[1][6] Its grounds now form part of the Terrace Gardens.
51°27′19″N0°18′08″W / 51.4554°N 0.3021°W /51.4554; -0.3021
