Leicester House, The Strand, Westminster
- thedudleywomen
- Oct 27
- 11 min read
Updated: Oct 28
By the summer of 1569, Elizabeth I had been on the throne for just over a decade, the longest reign of an English monarch since that of her father, Henry VIII, over two decades previously. During this time, her Master of Horse Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, had benefitted from his longstanding close and favoured relationship with the queen, despite scandal surrounding the sudden death of his first wife, Amy Robsart, in 1560. In addition to the Earldom of Leicester, bestowed upon him in 1564, Dudley was repeatedly rewarded with the granting of multiple awards and commissions, including the coveted appointment to the Most Noble Order of the Garter in 1559 and admission to the Privy Council in 1562. Having previously been pardoned following his conviction of high treason, with his inheritance subsequently restored by an Act of Parliament during Elizabeth's predecessor, Mary I's reign, Leicester had now found himself at the heart of government, as his father, John Dudley, 1st Northumberland, once had been, prior to his downfall in July 1553 (Gristwood, 2007; Paul, 2022).
Since Elizabeth's accession in November 1558, Leicester had been granted leases for use of multiple properties, including at Kew (near to the queen's favourite residence of Windsor Castle, where he had been appointed as Constable) and Knole in Kent. Leicester's greatest reward however, was Kenilworth Castle, a magnificent medieval fortress situated only five miles north of Warwick Castle. Both Warwickshire properties had been confiscated by the Crown following Northumberland's conviction for treason and subsequent Act of Attainder in 1553. However, only a decade later, in 1563, Kenilworth was bestowed to Leicester by Elizabeth, in addition to Welsh castles at Denbigh and Chirk, only a year after Warwick Castle had been granted to Ambrose Dudley, 3rd Earl of Warwick. Along with his surveyor, former Somerset-based mason William Spicer, Leicester undertook an ambitious building and modernisation project at Kenilworth in the early 1570s, which was to set the benchmark for modernisation and expansion projects in the Elizabethan periods (Wilson, 1981; Thurley, 2019).
Leicester had received a privileged upbringing and education, given his father's ascent to power within the households and councils of Henry VIII and Edward VI during his childhood. One of his' tutors was renowned mathematician, astrologer, necromancer and 'magician John Dee, to whom Leicester remained close in his adult life. Dee's influence on the young Robert appeared to be strong, instilling in his pupil a life-long interest in mathematics, cartography and architecture. In addition to his own building and renovation projects, Leicester remained in regular communication with others who shared these similar interests, including William Cecil, Lord Burghley, Sir John Thynne (Spicer's former employer at Longleat) and Elizabeth Hardwick, Countess of Shrewsbury (French, 1972; Hubbard, 2018).
Leicester, along with other members of Privy Council, accompanied Elizabeth and the Royal Court as they moved between royal residences, as well as on annual summer progresses. However, when their attendance was not required at court, it was beneficial for these influential men to have properties close to Westminster, the centre of political power, in which they could continue their business. In 1565, Elizabeth granted her favourite the use of Durham Place, a magnificent medieval building, formally the residence of the Bishop of Durham, situated on the banks of the Thames; this was another property previously gifted to his father by Edward VI, but confiscated and returned to the Crown on his conviction and execution for treason. Between April and November 1565, Elizabeth made multiple visits to Leicester at Durham Place, during which time 'reparations' were carried out to the property, in addition to the paving of the street outside. Occupation of Durham Place did not appear to last long, with Leicester's brother-in-law Sir Henry Sidney appearing to take over the lease, remaining in residence until 1578; Sidney's account books note payments in 1566 for "extraordinary charges at Duresme place" (Steadall, 2021; British History Online [1], 2025; Folgerpedia [1], 2025; Folgerpedia [2], 2025).
With the lease for Durham Place being taken over by Sidney, it became essential for Leicester to identify another local property that would meet his needs, and by June 1569, he had found one: Paget Place. Previously known as 'Exeter House', the property was formerly the Westminster residence of the Bishop of Exeter. Following the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the late 1530s, the house was granted to diplomat and (later) Privy Councillor William Paget, 1st Baron Paget, who made initial alterations to the medieval building. Following Paget's death in 1563, the property was inherited by his eldest son, Henry Paget, 2nd Baron Paget, the latter dying less than five years later, in December 1568. It was shortly after the younger Paget's death, and at Paget Place that Elizabeth I ordered the Spanish Ambassador Guerau de Espés to be confined from January 1569, in an attempt to safeguard him against the highly-emotive London citizens, given the increasing tensions surrounding the Spanish Catholic rule in Europe, and subsequent conflict with the English. In written correspondence on 01 June 1569, de Espés confirmed "I shall now have to move my house as the Earl of Leicester has bought this one from Paget’s heirs", writing further on 05 July confirming his move that day, from Paget Place, to the Bishop of Winchester's house in Southwark (British History Online [2], 2025; Folgerpedia [3], 2025).
Located on 'The Strand', the historic highway and primary thoroughfare leading from the hamlet of Charing, Westminster to Temple Bar, the ceremonial entrance to the city of London, Paget Place sat directly opposite the medieval church of St Clement Danes, which was regrettably destroyed a century later in The Great Fire of London, in 1666. In contrast to the numerous, cramped brick and timber buildings located throughout the capital, the stone-built mansions on The Strand provided their noble occupants the space, luxury and improved sanitation ill-afforded of the vast majority of the population (Borer, 1978; British History Online [3], 2025). Paget Place also sat on the north bank of the Thames, having direct access to the river by stairs leading down from the large oblong garden at the back of the house, thereby providing good transport links, including to royal riverside residences, such as the Palace of Westminster, this journey taking only 15 minutes by barge (Thurley, 2019; Paul, 2022).
After taking possession of the house, the property was eponymously renamed 'Leicester House' (sometimes written as 'Lecster House' and 'Leycester House'), thus becoming the Earl's official residence within the capital; Jenkins (1972, p.186) described the house as becoming "the centre of his social and political existence". The initial property lined The Strand, as depicted in drawings made in 1560 and 1572; however, subsequent drawings made, from 1593 show the building work undertaken, supervised by the Earl. With his interest in architecture, Leicester has been described as by Thurley (2019) as an 'enthusiastic builder', who engaged in multiple renovation projects; in addition to Kenilworth, it is known that Leicester employed Spicer to modernise his properties at Long Itchington, Grafton Regis and Warwick during the 1570s. Whilst unable to confirm that Spicer was responsible for the design and overseeing of renovations at Leicester House, which included the addition of a two-storey banqueting house completed by 1575, it is known that the Earl was satisfied with Spicer's work, later recommending him for the role of Surveyor of the Queen's Works (Hubbard, 2018; Stedall, 2021).
Jenkins (1972, p.185) described Leicester House following it's 'transformation', which appears to have been completed around 1575:
"The gatehouse, one of the row of houses lining the Strand, opened into a forecourt; beyond this stood the house, built around the four sides of an inner court. The south front, lying parallel with the river, was a block in whose roof rose in four gables, terminating at the eastern end like a battlemented tower like that of a church. In this block, the ground floor was occupied by the great hall. Over the hall, lay the great chamber, the withdrawing chambers, and the entrance to the upper rooms of the tower...The great hall gave on to a terrace, from which a flight of steps led down to a pleasure-ground, laid out in four-knot gardens..."
The additions made to the property meant that rooms could be allocated to Leicester's other family members; his only surviving brother Warwick, to whom he remained close throughout his life, had no official London residence. When Warwick was appointed to the Privy Council in 1573, there were increased demands for his attendance at court, despite long-term mobility issues and pain, secondary to a gunshot wound sustained whilst serving in France in 1563. Leicester was therefore able to provide comfortable accommodation for his brother at Leicester House (Weir, 1999; Stedall, 2021). Rooms were also set aside for his stepchildren, specifically his eldest Penelope Devereux, Lady Rich; Varlow (2009) described the luxuriously-furnished rooms, in a red and green colour scheme, as being a refuge away from her unhappy marriage, and a place to spend time with her beloved mother, the Earl's second wife Lettice Knollys, Countess of Leicester.
It was at his new home that Leicester was proudly able to entertain the queen, foreign ambassadors and his peers. However, as Tallis (2017, p.265) identifies, the house became a "hub of social activity and artistic patronage", allowing Leicester to indulge in his literary, artistic and theatrical interests. The acting troupe, named 'The Earl of Leicester's Men' after their patron, were one of the leading group of performers in the 1560s and 1570s, and were known to have performed regularly at Leicester House. Leicester also created a 'literary circle' and meeting place for young writers and poets, which included his nephew Sir Philip Sidney and Edmund Spencer, who was briefly employed as the Earl's personal secretary (Stedall, 2021; Paul, 2022).
The property remained a favoured one with Leicester and Lettice, given the desirable and central location, despite the latter being banished from court in 1579, on Elizabeth's discovery of the couple's secret marriage the previous year. It was at Leicester House in late spring 1581 that a heavily-pregnant Lettice entered her confinement, after which, on 06 June, she safely delivered a baby boy, Leicester's first and only legitimate son, Robert, Lord Denbigh (Tallis, 2017; Paul, 2022).
See THE DUDLEY WOMEN post: 'Robert Dudley, Lord Denbigh: "The Noble Impe"'.
With his increased influence, position and power, Leicester's household grew significantly during Elizabeth's reign; in the 1560s, it comprised of around 30 to 50 people, including trusted servant and later Steward of Kenilworth, Thomas Blount. However, during their tenure at Leicester House, the Earl and Countess's households had grown to approximately 150 staff, including servants, 'yeoman of the wardrobe', 'groom of the chamber', gardeners, musicians and footmen. In around 1584, Leicester employed his former servant's younger son, Christopher Blount, as his 'Master of Horse'. There are recurrent documented expenses for watermen, traveling by barge being the preferred mode of transportation for the couple (Gristwood, 2007; Tallis, 2017).
In September 1588, whilst journeying north to Kenilworth, Leicester's health suddenly declined, with the Earl unexpectedly dying on 04 September 1588, whilst celebrations initially continued in commemoration of the victory over the Spanish 'Armada' only two weeks previously, in which he had played a crucial role (Tallis, 2017). Leicester's will, written in August 1587, documents his requests in regards to Leicester House: "to my welbeloved Son in Law the Earl of Essex...my House in London, called Leicester House...and the Heirs of his body, not hurting the State of his Mother during her Life. I do give also to my dear Wife...the moyety of the Stuff at Leicester House". Leicester's will confirmed the bequests of the use of the property and its contents to his widow, Lettice, during her lifetime, following which, it would be legally inherited by her son Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex (Collins, 1746, pp.73-4).
See THE DUDLEY WOMEN post: 'The Death of Robert Dudley - 04 September 1588'.
Following her husband's death, Lettice continued to reside predominantly between Leicester House and the country estate of Wanstead Hall, Essex, the use of which she had been granted during her lifetime. However, Leicester had died in a significant amount of unpaid debt to the Crown, estimated to be over £25,000. As his widow, Lettice was required to make the repayments, and therefore sale of many of Leicester's prized possessions was required to reach this sum. Inventories of goods at Wanstead and Leicester House taken since 1580, including one made six months after his death, give an idea of Leicester's personal interests and opulent lifestyle: a library containing hundreds of books, musical instruments, weapons, maps, tapestries and over 200 pieces of artwork filled the house, including "two ladyes in one picktwer, my La. Rich and my La. Doryt"; this is likely the joint portrait of his stepdaughters Penelope and Dorothy Devereux which hung in the High Gallery in the house, and today hangs at Longleat (Owen, 1904; Varlow, 2009; Tallis, 2017; Stedall; 2021).
In 1593, Lettice relinquished her claim on Leicester House, in favour for her son, Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, relocating to her Staffordshire property of Drayton Bassett with her third husband, Leicester's Master of Horse Christopher Blount; Drayton Bassett would become her primary residence until her death in 1634, although Lettice would continue to stay at this beloved Westminster property when she visited the capital, subsequently renamed as 'Essex House'. Rooms were allocated once again to Essex's sister Penelope, this time redecorated in a more-mature black and gold colour scheme; it was at Essex House that Lady Rich conducted much of her decades-long affair with Charles Blount, Baron Mountjoy, even giving birth to their first child, Penelope there in March 1590. The property remained at the heart of Essex's London life, with it being the hub of 'Essex's Rebellion': where twenty disillusioned men, led by the Earl of Essex, gathered in February 1601 and set off on their failed coup to overthrow the government (Varlow, 2009; Tallis, 2017).
See THE DUDLEY WOMEN posts: 'The Execution of Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex - 25 February 1601' and 'Sir Christopher Blount (c.1555 - 25 March 1601)'.
