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4 Hamilton Place is a Grade II listed building in Mayfair, London.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Listed buildings in Westminster, Greater London )〕 It is used as a conference centre and wedding venue, located on the north-east edge of Hyde Park Corner, with the nearest access being Hyde Park Corner tube station. Since 1939 it has been the headquarters of The Royal Aeronautical Society.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=About Us )〕 The venue is also part of The Westminster Collection, a selection of Westminster's finest venues. ==History== The first reference to the short street now known as Hamilton Place appears in the latter half of the 17th century. On the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, Charles II granted James Hamilton, a ranger of Hyde Park and later groom of the bedchamber, a corner of land which had been excluded from Hyde Park when it was walled.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title= Walford )〕 A street bearing Hamilton’s name (which eventually became Hamilton Place) was constructed from Piccadilly to the park wall but the houses on it were small with none of the elegance which later came to be associated with the area.〔 Towards the end of the 18th century, by which time Hamilton’s lease had been acquired by others, the houses in Hamilton Street were said to be “in a ruinous condition and intended to be removed.” They were replaced by a row of houses with a view over the park. Plans were then produced to build three new houses on Piccadilly to make a symmetrical group. Those surviving (141–144 Piccadilly) were demolished in the early 1970s, at the same time as 2–3 Hamilton place, to build the hotel InterContinental. The architect Thomas Leverton (he also planned Bedford Square) was mentioned as a surveyor to the Hamilton Place scheme and he is referred to as the builder “acting on his own plans.” Documentary evidence shows that Leverton designed 4 Hamilton Place in 1807 for his client, the 2nd Earl of Lucan, who took up the lease in 1810. A later resident was the Duke of Wellington, who rented the property in 1814 before moving to Apsley House. Later Lord Granville became the tenant in 1822. Until the end of the 19th Century the house was occupied by a succession of bankers, the last of whom was the then Viceroy of India, Lord Northbrook, previously Thomas George Baring. Lord Northbrook owned many paintings by notable artists which he housed in the Baring Gallery at No.4 Hamilton Place. The last private owner of 4 Hamilton Place was Mr Leopold Albu (1861–1938). Born on 10 March 1861, he was the son of Simon Albu and Fanny Sternberg, a German Jewish family originally based at Brandenburg. In 1876 Leopold and his elder brother George – later Sir George Albu (1857–1935) – emigrated to South Africa where they became one of South Africa’s original ‘Randlord’ dynasties. After some time in Cape Town, they moved to the diamond-fields of Kimberley, accumulated financial interests, and sold out to De Beers at a substantial profit.〔Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990〕 George Albu subsequently purchased the ailing Meyer and Charlton Mine, restructured it and, on 30 December 1895, he and his brother Leopold established General Mining and Finance Corporation — changing the name of their firm from G&L Albu — one of the original companies that led to the Gencor consortium that survives today. Leopold Albu married Adelaide Veronica Elizabeth Burton, daughter of Edgar Henry Burton, on 19 August 1901 at St Georges Church, Hanover Square, London W1, the wedding itself being a society event, as by this time Albu was a well-known millionaire.〔Charles Mosley, editor, Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes (Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003), volume 1, page 66〕 However, the marriage ended acrimoniously — news of the divorce petition even being reported on in ''The New York Times'' on 9 February 1915. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「4 Hamilton Place」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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