Shorncliffe Lodge

The property was purchased in 1912 following Edward Sassoon's successful election in a by-election at Hythe, Kent, a constituency previously represented by Meyer de Rothschild from 1859 to 1874. The area had established associations with the Rothschild family, who were connected with a number of properties along the Undercliff at Sandgate, Kent. Sassoon’s in-laws had owned property in the area since the early nineteenth century, using it as a staging point for couriers and carrier pigeons communicating with the Continent. The parents of Admiral of the Fleet Sir Roger Keyes resided at Shorncliffe Lodge. In 1921, the Freemasons' Lodge of St Mark No. 6969 was established at the property. In…