The grand Lancaster House. So grand in fact that the then Queen Victoria is said to have remarked to the 2nd Duchess of Sutherland on arriving, "I have come from my House to your Palace."
Lancaster House sits further along the Mall close to Buckingham Palace. It was built in 1825 by the architect Benjamin Dean Wyatt for the Duke of York and Albany, the second son of King George III. The house was originally called York House, but it was renamed Lancaster House in 1839, when it was leased to the Duke of Sutherland, who was also the Marquess of Stafford and Earl of Lancaster. The house has a neo-classical style, with a grand entrance hall, a sweeping staircase, and a magnificent state drawing room. The house also contains a collection of paintings, sculptures, and furniture from various periods and countries. Lancaster House has hosted many important occasions, such as the London Conference of 1945, where the foundations of the United Nations were discussed; the Lancaster House Agreement of 1979, which ended the Rhodesian Bush War and granted independence to Zimbabwe; and the G7 summit of 1991. The house is still used for diplomatic and ceremonial purposes, as well as for film and television productions.