By Community Correspondent, Noreen Cesareo.

From Queen Elizabeth I, to Queen Victoria and King George VI, they left a royal footprint on most Coombe Estate properties. So it is not surprising that over the years, Warren House too entertained an illustrious guest list.

Warren House has long been associated with superb hospitality. Set in four acres of land, it is a “fine Victorian Mansion that still survives in Warren Road”.

It dates back to 1865, when Hugh Hammersley commissioned it to be built on 16 acres of land he had bought from the Duke of Cambridge. After his death in 1880, Warren House changed hands several times until 1907, when it was acquired by General Sir Arthur Paget, GCB KCVO. Warren House then remained in the Paget family until 1954.

A Royal Setting

In the early 1900s, Warren House was the ideal setting for royal hospitality and society parties. The Pagets were great friends of King Edward and featured prominently in both London and New York societies. Lady Paget was the former Miss Minnie Stevens of New York, “who had created quite a stir in London with her beauty”. In August 1906, The New York Times wrote that, “Lady Paget has been successful in advancing the interests in fashionable society in London of her American friends.”

In May 1909, Sir Arthur welcomed King Edward VII for a short stay at Warren House. King Edward’s bedroom is still there and you can sleep in it today, a reminder of a royal visit. And right up to 1912, as the New York Times reported, Lady Paget was still busy entertaining friends and royalty at “Coombe Warren”, complete with after dinner American singers.

During their tenure, Sir Arthur and Lady Paget introduced many period features that can still be seen today: a magnificent ballroom built as a miniature scale “Hall of Mirrors” from the Palace of Versailles; an interesting Persian fireplace, a Winter Garden with grotto and an Italian style loggia.

Years of hospitality have barely left a mark. If Gladstone, Edward VII, George V, George VI, Queen Alexandra, Queen Mary, or any of the other famous guests could return, they would find it virtually unchanged. Warren House is maintained in all its original beauty and is true to its culture of superb hospitality. It is recognised internationally as the “Most Excellent Dedicated Venue” for fine dining, meetings, conferences and events.

For further details please visit www.warrenhouse.com or contact Helen Bull, Sales Manager, on 020 8974 7049 or email at helenbull@warrenhouse.com.

Excerpts from newspapers and photos have been taken from the Warren House files and the archived online editions of The New York Times.