13 Kensington Palace Gardens

The land on which Harrington House is constructed previously belonged to the gardens of Kensington Palace. In 1841, an Act of Parliament allowed 28 acres of the palace's kitchen garden to be divided from the palace's gardens; two rows of "rich private residences" were then constructed on this street, which would come to be known as Kensington Palace Gardens. Lord Harrington had applied for permission to build in March 1851. He was granted the lease of the plot until 1942 (91 years), for a rent of £147 a year, on condition that before January 1853, he construct a house costing no less than £6,000. Construction began in October 1851 and by July 1853, the Earl was living at the house.

For 50 years prior to the United Kingdom suspending its relations with the USSR in May 1927, the Russian Embassy had been located at Chesham House, close to Belgrave Square at the corner of Chesham Place and Lyall Street. With the reestablishment of diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union in 1929, a new home was needed. In 1924, Sir Lewis Richardson, a South African millionaire businessman, acquired Harrington House. Following designs by Sidney Parvin, Sir Lewis spent over £25,000 altering the house. These alterations including the demolition of the house's bell-turret, changing the windows of the conservatory, and replacing the original sloping roof with a flat one. Sir Lewis also made…