Lauderdale House from its terrace

Image: © Marathon Taken: 5 Sep 2018

Lauderdale House was one of the finest country houses in Highgate and was originally built for Richard Martin (Lord Mayor of London) in 1582. In 1645 it was inherited by the notorious Earl of Lauderdale (hence its name), one of the members of Charles II’s CABAL of Ministers. In 1666 it was visited by Charles II and Samuel Pepys, while Nell Gwyn is said to have lived there briefly in 1670. From 1856 Sydney Waterlow, the famous printer, had lived in a house in what is now Waterlow Park. He soon acquired the neighbouring properties to create his own mini-estate. Lauderdale House was let out, for a while as a convalescent home. In 1882, he donated it 'for the enjoyment of Londoners'. Sydney Waterlow did not stay long at his Highgate estate. It remained empty and deteriorating for some time until he decided to present it to the London County Council as a public park and ‘a garden for the gardenless’. This took place in 1889, after he had failed to find a buyer. In converting the estate into a public park the Council was careful to keep most of the historic features. By the end of the 20th century, however, Waterlow Park was in serious decline but a major restoration project was completed in June 2005 with Heritage Lottery funding. Lauderdale House, which is within the park, now houses a cafe. There is a Friends of Waterlow Park group – see http://www.waterlowpark.org.uk/

Images are licensed for reuse under creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0