Osterley House

Source/Shelfmark: Maps K.Top.30.33-a This Tudor mansion, originally constructed in 1575 by Sir Thomas Gresham, was substantially remodelled in the next two centuries. The work of Robert Adams in the 1760s and 1770s in particular helped create the regular exterior of the building. Osterley House became the property of the Child family after it was purchased by banker Francis Child in 1711, and continued to be used by his sons and grandsons, including Robert Child, the Earl of Jersey, who set about transforming it into a classical mansion. Contemporaries such as Horace Walpole visited and enthused over the luxury and taste of the redecorating work. Walpole opined: "The old house I have often seen, which was built by Sir Thomas Gresham...so improved and enriched, that all the Percys and Seymours of Syon must die of envy."