Lancaster House

Lancaster House (originally known as York House and then Stafford House) is a mansion on The Mall in the St James's district in the City of Westminster. Adjacent to Green Park, it is next to Clarence House and St James's Palace, as much of the site was once part of the palace grounds. Initially planned for Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany, it was ultimately completed by George Leveson-Gower, 1st Duke of Sutherland, then Marquess of Stafford, as an aristocratic townhouse in the early 19th century, and known for its lavish interiors. Gifted to the government in the early 20th century, it houses the government's wine cellars and was home to the London Museum until the Second World War. Now used for diplomatic receptions and related functions by the Foreign Office, it is a historic Grade I listed building, and its interiors are sometimes used in films or television as a stand-in for Buckingham Palace.