33, Portland Place Portland Place, London Middlesex England

33 Portland Place is one of the largest and most remarkable houses in London: a rare and exquisite example of a magnificent eighteenth century residence. It is where Edward Davenport and his celebrity friends host the most glamorous and exclusive parties in London.

Built in 1775 by Robert Adam, the greatest architect of the era, 33 Portland Place still holds its original character, and boasts more original features than any other London townhouse. Yet it has managed to move with the times and the house is now one of the most fashionable and exclusive party venue’s in London.

The House offers flexible accommodation including eight Reception rooms, a Billiard room, a Club room with a large Jacuzzi, a ballroom and London’s only hydraulic wall. All suitable for entertaining on a large scale. The house includes 24 bedrooms which are mostly refurbished.

The History

1779 to 1832: The Wyndham family

The house was first owned by Lord Henry Wyndham and his beautiful wife, Arundel. The couple exerted considerable influence in Parliament and also possessed estates in Wiltshire, Monmouth, and Wales. Upon the death of Henry, the house was bequeathed to his eldest son, Joseph, who, along with his beloved brother, broke all manner of endurance records whilst scaling Mount Etna. Even to this day, the Royal Geographical Society honors the brothers as "the most courageous explorers of their time".

The house was then passed to Joseph’s son James and then on to the Hon Mrs Wyndham and Sir William Dalling, baronet. Sir William’s father had been Governor of Jamaica and he himself was high-ranking general in the army.

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1832 to 1844: The Holroyd family

In 1832, the house was acquired by the Holroyd family, headed by the Earl of Sheffield. The 2nd Earl, whose father was the patron and friend of the historian Edward Gibbon, was the first to take charge. His son, Henry North Holroyd, the 3rd Earl of Sheffield, was born in the house and subsequently lived a colorful life there. Henry was soon made a peer and then immersed himself in the world of cricket. At the tender age of 23 he became a member of the MMC, the Presidency of which he declined several times. He did however become the President of the Sussex County Cricket Club, which was, in those days, a position of enormous responsibility.

The Holroyds were a very well connected family and often had influential guests to stay. For a period after 1835, for instance, lord Charles Townsend, an immensely wealthy gentleman and Grand Master of the Freemasonic Lodges, inhabited the premises. Many residents have since chanced a glimpse of Lord Charles ’ghost drifting down the main staircase clad in Templar robes!

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1844 to 1848

In 1844 the house was bought by Sir Richard Bulkeley Philips, first baronet, whose real name was Grant. At the time of his residence, he sat in Parliament for Haverford West and was the proud owner of Picton Castle in Pembrokeshire.

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1848 to 1893: The Nevill family

In 1848, 33 Portland Place was bought by the extremely wealthy Reverend William Nevill, the 4th Earl of Abergavenny. Although he owned over eighteen ecclesiastical dwellings, he was also a deeply spiritual man and served as Vicar of Frant in Kent for many years. Upon his death, the house was passed to his son, William the 5th Earl and 1st Marquis, who also held the title Lord Lieutenant of Sussex, a county in which he owned fifty thousand acres.

In fact , as a testimonial to the wealth of William Nevill, he gave the house to his sister, Lady Isabel, as a wedding present. She married the hugely popular Reverand Edward Vesey Bligh, son of the 6th Earl of Darnley.

Lady MOSTYN

Lived in the house, and was a relative of the Earl of Abergavenny

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1893 to 1925

The Blighs sold the property to a certain Baron James Blyth, a millionaire who had founded the famous gin distillers, W.A. Gilbey & Sons. He was one of the most interesting characters every to have lived at number 33 Portland Place.

James Blyth was a complex man and, like many of his kind, he oftentimes loop-holed the law for the ‘greater good’. For instance, there is speculation that in 1907 he bribed a corrupt Member of Lloyd George’s cabinet for a Knighthood. Whatever the case, the title gave Blyth the credibility to engage in several philanthropic ventures – viniculture and agriculture, the fiscal and commercial policy of the British Empire, cheap postal and telegraph services, as well as homes for orphans and the British Empire League.

He was stereotypical ‘man who made husbands jealous’, since, as one historian notes, "Blyth exuded a powerful presence, which made men tremble and women easy prey!"

Ironically, Baron James Blyth, although a fun loving partygoer by heart, probably invested more into the upkeep of 33 Portland Place than any of the previous owners. Apart form general maintenance work, he built a remarkable Victorian extension, which included a stained glass billiard room. He also introduced some ingenious innovations such as a hydraulic wall, which separated the dining room from the music room. The ambitious design, which still exists in its original form, was powered by a water pump system concealed in the basement.

In 1892 Baron Blyth installed the drainage system which is currently still in use today, taking all the waste from the house trough a network of drains underneath the building. The original plans for this drainage system can be found in the archive photo section of this website.

Baron James Blyth passed away on February 8th 1925. His funeral was attended by an international ensemble of key figures thus re-enforcing the consensus that one of the nations great entertainers would be sorely missed.

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1925 to 1954

The house subsequently found its way into the hands of, Reginald Ernest Bickerton, also lived there. The Bickertons added substantially to the top two floors and carried out major work there between 1925-1931 including the installation of further pantries and bathrooms. The copies of the original plans for the work carried out at this time can be found in the photo archives section of this website. Reginald Bickerton made his fortune writing many interesting works, arguably his most famous concerning blindness resulting from burns caused by exposure to mustard gas during the First World War. He passed away in 1949 and records show that his wife remained in the house until 1958.

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1954 to 1998

The property was occupied and used as the embassy for the Government of Sierra Leone.

Diplomats including the Deputy High Commissioner and members of a Sierra Leone Parliament including President Kabbah used the Edwardian apartments on the top 2 floors of the house on an occasional basis as residential accommodation when they visited London. These apartments were used throughout the late 50s and 60s.

After this time, however, the number of diplomatic staff at the embassy began to be reduced and the apartments were left empty for over 30 years. Sierra Leone suffered several financial crises and eventually a coup. During the coup and civil war that followed in Sierra Leone the elected government was exiled and no funds were available to run the London High Commission.

The embassy at 33 Portland Place was allowed to fall into substantial disrepair and the majority of the building became unusable and derelict. It was during this coup that an unusual step was taken by the formal High Commissioner Professor Foray. Professor Foray approached a British entrepreneur Edward Davenport for finance to assist the running of the embassy. The transaction that followed was clouded with unproven allegations of bribery and corruption.

The disputes were, however, all settled and from 1999 the building had a new owner, a company backed by Edward Davenport and plans were put in place to restore the property to a grand residence.

Edward Davenport

The grand property at 33 Portland Place is one of the finest houses in London. A vast spread in the exclusive heart of the West End, it has played host to some of the most glamourous and best-known faces in the world, becoming a social setting unmatched in the city with spectacular scenery and a unique atmosphere.

Edward Davenport is equally unique. Davenport is one of Britain’s most flamboyant entrepreneurs, a businessman renowned for taking chances and living a life of adventure. A man who has earned his own wealth, Davenport enjoys the rewards his successes bring while remaining utterly dedicated to his businesses.

He lives the high life in Monaco and London, rubbing shoulders with celebrity friends such as Jean-Claude Van Damme, Pink and Fifty Cent. He has a jet, beautiful homes and a collection of sports cars which would make any man jealous – including a Ferrari 360 Spider, an Aston Martin Virage Volante, a Rolls Royce Phantom and a Lamborghini.

A regular feature on the social pages and in the Rich Lists of newspapers and magazines, Davenport was recently the subject of a profile published by the London Evening Standard, which described him as “tall, slim and Draculine…with a constant tan…and a penchant for sharp suits and Rolex watches”.

His reputation is enhanced by the kind of visitors and events 33 Portland Place attracts. It has hosted parties for the likes of Cher and Boy George while guests have included Kate Moss, Gisele and Naomi Campbell. And there is more: Johnny Depp has filmed there; Vogue threw a party in Davenport’s house; the BBC have used it for filming with Rupert Everett; and it has been the venue for photoshoots by endless cutting-edge magazines, among them Arena, GQ, Playboy, FHM, Esquire, ES, Vogue, Harpers & Queen, Dazed and Confused and Vanity Fair to name but a few. Annie Leibovitz has even shot for Vivienne Westwood at 33 Portland Place.

But there is more to Davenport than a series of parties and celebrity associations. One friend, model Jenny Sutcliffe, had this to say about him: “Eddie will always take you for a night out and be damned if you pay for anything. He’s got fantastic manners. He’ll never take a telephone call while he’s eating; he’ll never get up in the middle of a meal or shout across the table. He can talk to anyone and just be Eddie. His laugh is contagious. He’s lovely to chat to, such a happy character and always makes you smile; he has an amazing sense of humour.”

Despite his financial success and the luxurious life it affords him, Davenport remains as hungry and motivated as he has ever been. He is a businessman to his bones, simply addicted to the deals which brought him to where he is today. He is determined to continue building up his companies and so always has his eyes open for a new opportunity and another chance to test himself.

This is how Davenport has achieved so much already – by setting himself challenges and overcoming them. Yes, he takes risks and some more traditional investors are not used to this approach. But every risk Edward Davenport ever takes is calculated right down to the most tiny detail: he does not gamble when he cannot win which is why he is known as one of the shrewdest investors around. Davenport studies a stream of business plans which are put to him every week; he relishes investing in start-up businesses and funding up-and-coming entrepreneurs. Such things are his passion and explain why Davenport never relaxes. Even though he enjoys his enviable bachelor lifestyle, Davenport’s mind is always on business.

His reputation is of the utmost importance and Davenport goes to extremes to ensure he is scrupulously fair in all his dealings. He is polite and respectful at all times but accepts that in business one cannot always be friends with everyone because someone has to win and someone has to lose. Davenport is hard but fair, pushes his companies’ interests as far as he can and likes to win every time. But if he loses, Davenport learns his lesson and moves on – there is no point looking back as you cannot change the past. A quiet life is not for him.

He is known as “Lord” Davenport by the media – a moniker given as a term of endearment in reference to his high class life. But what is not so well known is that Davenport really is a Lord. His correct manorial title, which he inherited aged 28, is Lord of Giffords, but this is something he chooses not to use.

Davenport was born 1966 in London’s Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. His eye for a business opportunity emerged early in his life: at the age of fifteen he was already making money selling fashionable clothes from a market stall in Portobello Road while being educated at the prestigious Frensham Heights School in Surrey.

Aged 16 he moved onto organising parties – the legendary Gatecrasher Balls – and had made his first million by his early twenties, becoming a familiar face all over the British media in the process. By then Davenport had moved on to owning and running some of London’s best nightclubs, including SW1 on Victoria Street which is now Pacha.

Building on those achievements, Davenport used his profits to invest in property and has now built up a portfolio worth over £100 million. He has also expanded into business investments, using his expertise to select companies worth backing, helping them to success and sharing in the rich dividends his decisions reap. He is currently involved in substantial equity transactions related to property, telecoms in Asia, bio fuels and the film business, including a prestigious film studio in Covent Garden.

Davenport is based in London and Monaco, from where the Davenport Trust is administered. In Monaco, Davenport has made such an impression that he now helps the Government of Monaco with their property deals. He recently facilitated the setting up of a Consulate in London on their behalf.