Great College Street


Great College Street is a street in Westminster, London. The street was first laid out in the 1720s but it has seen many alterations and much rebuilding in the later 19th and early 20th centuries. Its proximity to the Palace of Westminster has made it a popular choice for politicians looking for homes within Parliament's Division bell area; the most notable being No.17, Great College Street, which was home to Alfred Milner, 1st Viscount Milner at the start of the 20th century and to Margaret Thatcher at its end.

Location

Great College Street runs in a dog-leg from Millbank in the east to Tufton Street in the west. To the north it is bordered firstly by College Green, a public space frequently used for political interviews, and then by College Garden, a private garden belonging to Westminster Abbey. The north side of the street along this length is fronted by a rubble stone wall. The street terminates at its western end with a left-hand junction into Tufton Street. To the right is an entrance into Dean's Yard.

History and description

The original houses on the street date from the early Georgian era, being laid out c.1720. Their plans follow what John Summerson called "the insistent verticality of the London house" . There are many later insertions, mainly of the later 19th and 20th centuries.
Simon Bradley and Nikolaus Pevsner, in the 2003 revised London 6: Westminster in the Buildings of England series, describe Great College Street as, "charming with an atmosphere like a cathedral close".
The street's proximity to the Palace of Westminster has made it a popular choice for politicians looking for homes. In the early 20th century Sir Charles Trevelyan, who held education offices in both Liberal and Labour governments in the early 20th century; Walter Runciman, a Liberal politician who held a range of government posts from 1905 to 1937; and Alfred Lyttelton, who enjoyed a short career as Secretary of State for the Colonies, all had homes there. The most notable "political" house is No.17. Alfred Milner lived there during World War I and conducted negotiations at the house with Arthur Lee, 1st Viscount Lee of Fareham, who lived over the wall opposite in No.2 Abbey Gardens, when Lloyd George was seeking to entice Milner to join his coalition government after the fall of H. H. Asquith. At the end of the 20th century, No.17 was home to Lord McAlpine, the Tory Party treasurer and the scene of much intrigue as the party began its descent into civil war over the question of the UK's relations with Europe. On the fall of Margaret Thatcher in November 1990 No.17 was lent, at her suggestion, to John Major, who ran his successful campaign to replace her as Tory leader from the house. Thatcher then stayed at the house for some months after her resignation. As a sign of the increasingly fractious nature of her relations, and those of her allies including McAlpine, with Major, No.17 was later used as the headquarters of the Tory rebels who sought to bring down Major's government over disagreements on the Maastricht Treaty.

Buildings, occupants and listing designations