All eyes are on Winfield House, the massive mansion located in central London, as the UK welcomes US President Donald Trump for his state visit.
The stately home where one of the most important leaders in the world stays while visiting the UK now has a reputation for throwing the hippest parties on this side of the world, especially on 4 July, the US Independence Day. This year, Nile Rodgers & Chic headlined the Fourth of July celebration attended by thousands.
The house welcomed some of the world’s most prominent figures in fashion, sports, and politics. According to the house’s official website, the property was built in 1825 with the intention of using it for entertainment.
Trump’s first stop during his UK trip is at the 35-room mansion. It is not his first time staying in Winfield, since he also spent nights there in 2019 during his first term at the Oval Office.
‘It’s not just the home of the ambassador, but it’s also a centre of diplomatic hospitality,’ said Stephen Crisp, the former head gardener who served there for 37 years until his retirement last year.
However, the public should know that Winfield House is not a tourist attraction. Its strategic location inside Regent’s Park maintains its exclusivity and makes it difficult to infiltrate. Though some institutions tried to conduct arranged tours of the property, the ambassador has not yet permitted it.
‘It’s really, really difficult to get in there. I regard it as a feather in my cap that I actually managed to get in,’ Viv Ward, Friends of Regent’s Park’s event manager, said. He also said that the property was ‘magnificent’ while describing the grounds.
What to Expect in a Winfield House Tour?
If the authorities grant a permit to the Tour of Winfield, participants will only have a chance to see the property’s posh and expansive ground floor, where receptions are held. They can also have a look at the massive gardens.
The first floor is where the personal apartments of the US ambassador can be found.
Since it is the official home for the American diplomats and the venue for most of their receptions, setting a tour schedule for the property can be a challenge.
‘It wasn’t a case of we would like to come on this date and this time. It was just, you will be allowed to come here on this day,’ Mr Ward stated.
Crisp also shared that the home has the second-largest private garden in central London. It has a large lawn, paved walkways, large sculptures, and even a space that helicopters can use for landing.
Winfield House’s $1 History
In 1946, the massive house was sold by Barbara Hutton, a socialite and the heiress to the Woolworths riches, to the US government for just a dollar. President Harry S Truman described Hutton’s offer as ‘most generous and patriotic’.
Hutton purchased the property 10 years before selling it to the American government. Since it was partly ravaged by a fire, the Crown Estate Commission allowed her to demolish the building and rebuild it in the signature red brick Georgian style establishment that remains to this day.
The socialite decided to name it after her grandfather, Frank Winfield Woolworth. He was the legendary founder of the Woolworth shopping chain. The building was originally called St Dunstan’s.
She stayed at the mansion until she decided to return to the US with her son in 1939, just before World War II started, and while she was having problems with her second marriage.
It was later revealed that she met her third husband, actor Cary Grant, in the mansion.
The war turned the property into a recreation ground for the Royal Air Force balloon barrage unit. The officers allegedly played football in the house’s massive gardens.
Hutton went back to London after the war to check the state of the property. She immediately called her lawyers and asked to turn it over to the US government for repairs. It has been the official ambassadors’ residence since then.
Winfield House Today
US presidents drop by at least once at the mansion during their state visits to the UK. Crisp recalled that he met Trump and his wife, Melania, during the past visit. The First Couple had dinner with King Charles III and Queen Camilla before he ascended to the throne.
Former President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle also hosted the late Queen Elizabeth II during his term.