It was announced on April 4, 1922, that Claremont House in Esher is "to be offered at auction during the coming season." The seller was the Duchess of Albany, the widow of the Duke of Albany, who was Victoria's fourth son.
The stately home, located on more than 300 acres, was first built in 1708 by the architect Sir John Vanbrugh, and it was owned by the Duke of Newcastle and the Marquess of Clare, "who gave it the name Claremont."
The house was purchased and rebuilt by "the great Clive" who hired the brothers Adam to redesign the house. After Clive's death, Claremont was purchased by the nation as a home for Princess Charlotte of Wales and her husband, Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. The future King Leopold I of the Belgians retained ownership of the home until his death in 1865. Queen Victoria lent the house to the exiled King Louis Philippe of France and his family.
On Christmas Eve, 1914, the Duchess "entertained the indoor servants with their wives and families, to a tea and entertainment at Claremont."
The Duchess of Albany left Claremont in 1916, and moved into an apartment in Kensington Palace. Sir Almeric Paget, MP, became the first tenant, and was expected to move into Claremont in late 1916. The Duchess died in September 1922, several months after the sale of Claremont to Sir William Correy, Bt.
Claremont was put up for auction again in 1930, four years after Sir William's death. (A German financier, Eugen Spier, had bought the house in 1926.)
The property, along with 34 acres, was acquired by a girl's school. Recognizing the house's tradition as a royal residence, the school retained the name Claremont. The estate became a National Trust property in 1949 and was open to the public in 1951.
http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-findaplace/w-claremontlandscapegarden.htm.
The building is now the Claremont Fan Court School.
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