Venue history

Designed by James Adam in 1773, 41 Portland Place was originally built as a private home for The Honourable Thomas Gage. Gage was a British general, best known for his many years of service in North America, including his role as military commander in the early days of the American War of Independence. Ironic, considering he was married to Margaret Kemble Gage who was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey. There is speculation that she was a spy for the patriots due to her familial ties to America. However, her brother, Stephen Kemble was a Lieutenant-Colonel in the British Army during the Revolution.

Thomas Gage and his wife married in 1758 and together they had 7 children.

From 1763 to 1775 he served as commander-in-chief of the British forces in North America, overseeing the British response to the 1763 Pontiac's Rebellion. In 1774 he was also appointed the military governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay, with instructions to implement the Intolerable Acts, punishing Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party. His attempts to seize military stores of Patriot militias in April 1775 sparked the Battles of Lexington and Concord, beginning the American War of Independence. After the Pyrrhic victory in the June Battle of Bunker Hill he was replaced by General William Howe in October 1775, and returned to Britain.

The next occupant of the building in 1792 was a Politician followed by several other people with political or military careers.

41 Portland Place’s last inhabitant was the Dowager Lady Alington who passed away in 1939.  After her death, the house was left empty for two years, but remained standing while surrounding buildings were bomb damaged during the London Blitz. During these two years the house was acquired for military use, and was occupied by Balfour Services Club, a Jewish Social Centre and also by the forces of the United Nations.

The building was renumbered several times as new houses were added on Portland Place. Later the street acquired its present numbering system with even numbers on the east site and odd number on the west side.

In the years after World War II the area surrounding Portland Place changed dramatically and emerged as a centre of medical practice. The Medical Society of London and the Royal Society of Medicine were two societies to take up premises nearby and Harley Street became world famous as a location for private healthcare. The Ciba Foundation, later known as the Novartis Foundation, moved into 41 Portland Place in 1947 and for over 50 years the Foundation hosted prestigious scientific events, meetings and symposia attended by some of the greatest medical scientists of the last Century.

During the late 1950’s and early 1960’s the building suffered somewhat dramatically as a result of floods and fires. One of the floods that occurred during this time was actually a result of one of the accommodation guests (an acclaimed Professor) forgetting to turn off his running bath. As a result, the housekeeper’s quarters were completely ruined which meant all the paperwork related to previous and future bookings was completely destroyed.

There was also an incident in which one of the guests was found in the maid’s bathroom. There was speculation as to what he was doing there. However, unfortunately not recorded.

The Novartis Foundation closed in 2008, following the Trustees’ decision to merge with the Academy of Medical Sciences. After taking over the lease on 41 Portland Place, the Academy embarked on a £5 million redevelopment programme to create a modern headquarters and a conference and events venue under the design of award-winning architects Burrell, Foley & Fischer. The building opened in October 2010 and started a new chapter in its history as the home of the Academy of Medical Sciences.

The Academy of Medical Sciences promotes advances in medical science. Our mission is to ensure better healthcare through the rapid application of research to the practice of medicine. Profits generated through venue hire of 41 Portland Place are used to fund activities run by the Academy of Medical Science to promote advances in medical science and ensure research is rapidly translated into benefits for patients. The Academy of Medical Sciences are champions of the UK's strengths in medical science, promote careers and capacity building, encourage the implementation of new ideas and solutions – often through novel partnerships – and help to remove barriers to progress.

Interesting facts about the building:

• The reason why there are more stairs on the servant staircase is because they were expected to walk quietly. Hence smaller steps create less noise

• The floors from the servant’s staircase are not numerically identified because most of the servants were illiterate and therefore couldn’t read numbers. The glass panels on each level increase in size as you walk up each floor so they were able to identify which level they were on.

The Exhibition Area marks the original back wall of 41 Portland Place the windows originally looked out onto the back courtyard between the main building and Weymouth Mews (now home to the Wolfson Conference Centre)
The curved doors on the entrance to the Landeau Room and the Jean Shanks Library contain panels made from a single piece of wood so that the patterns in the wood are symmetrical on either side of the doors

Portland Place

Portland Place was designed by the brothers Robert and James Adam for the Duke of Portland in the late 18th century and originally ran north from the gardens of a detached mansion called Foley House. The street was specifically designed to be wide (33 meters) which represented the Duke’s obligations to his Lord that this part of London would be protected from the war.
In the early 19th century Portland Place was incorporated into the royal route (Carlton House to Regents Park) for the Prince Regent.
As well as 41 Portland Place, there is a significant amount of history on the street which is detailed below.

In 1948, the building next-door was bombed and eventually demolished and rebuilt.  The building now sports bricks and architecture significantly different to the other buildings on Portland Place

One of Portland Place’s residents was Jane Catherine Gamble – a wealthy American heiress on whom Henry James based his novel The Portrait of a Lady. Jane Gamble was known for her free-spirited nature, adventurous travelling and controversial affairs.  In 1996, The Portrait of a lady was made into a movie in which Nicole Kidman played the starring role of Isabel Archer (the character based on Jane Gamble)

33 Portland Place (two doors down towards Oxford Circus)

Occupied by Edward Davenport it is where he and his celebrity friends host some of the most glamorous and exclusive parties in London. 33 Portland Place was the location for Amy Winehouse’s ‘Rehab’ video and it also one of the locations for the film The Kings Speech

The Langham (1 Portland Place)

In 1865 the Langham opened as London’s first Grand Hotel. The likes of Oscar Wilde and Algernon Swinburne (later Edward VII) were frequent guests at the hotel in its early years. The section between Portland Place and Cleveland St was a red light district until the end of the 19th century in which many of these socialites visited.

This building at 1 Portland Place was also damaged by bombs during 1940 and 1941. It was purchased by the BBC and then acquired by Ladbrokes and recently restored to its former, imposing, Victorian glory. In 1991 it reopened as the Langham Hilton.

BBC

British Broadcasting Corporation made Broadcasting House their base in 1932 and they still remain there today.