Soho Square: Monmouth House

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Sir Walter Besant, in The Fascination of London, published in 1903, continues his survey of Soho Square with a description of Monmouth House, which covered the whole south side of the square:

The Duke of Monmouth obtained the site for this house in 1681, but he did not long enjoy his possession, for four years later he suffered the penalty of his pretensions and was executed.

The house was later occupied by successive French Ambassadors; it was demolished in 1773.

The houses at present standing at the south end of the square must have been built immediately after the destruction of Monmouth House, and possibly the materials of the older building were used in their construction.

The Hospital for Women shows some traces of former grandeur in panelled rooms and decorative cornices.

The hospital was only established in these quarters in 1851, so the house may have had fashionable tenants before.

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