Grosvenor Gardens

Pitt-Rivers' objects known to have been located in 4 Grosvenor Gardens, London

Pitt-Rivers is known to have lived at 4 Grosvenor Gardens after 1880, it was his London residence until his death in 1900. However, not many objects are listed as being held there: 2400 in total, of which 2290 also have a second or subsequent different locations also noted. It is likely that Pitt-Rivers had other objects at this property, but it is not known what these were. He must, for example, have had more paintings and drawings.

Of the 2424 objects known to have been located at Grosvenor Gardens at some point, 1445 do not have a specific room identified for them within the property. For the remaining objects the following locations have been identified:

Breakfast Room = 7 objects

Coin Cabinets = 22 objects

Dining Room = 3 objects

Drawing Room = 169 objects

Hall = 3 objects

Library = 59 objects

Lift Room = 442 objects

Office = 262 objects

Study = 7 objects

By far the largest number of objects were located in the Lift room. Most of these are listed as being placed in drawers of cabinets in that room. The name of the room is unusual; it is not clear what the 'lift' refers to though it probably was some form of elevator or lift used for moving people or possibly goods from one floor of the house to another. It seems to have functioned as a holding room for objects because all of them are moved to another location eventually. The same seems to have been true for the items placed in the office.

Items placed in the drawing room are interesting. Some are objects of macabre or academic interest, for example the 'Human or animal vertebrae with part of arrowhead embedded' from Peru [Add.9455vol1_p2 /9] Others have more conventional decorative qualities, for example 'Fan Design attributed to Angelica Kauffman - “Telemachus with the Nymphs & Cupid on the Island of Calypso “In the meantime Telemachus who saw the boy playing with the Nymphs was surprised at his sweetness and beauty, he sometimes pressed him to his bosom, some times set him on his knee and frequently took him in his arms.”', obtained from a Sotheby's sale in 1882 and transferred to Rushmore (though a less prestigious location, the bedroom 'second landing') and finally to Hinton St Mary with Mrs Pitt-Rivers after 1900. [Add.9455vol1_p32 /2]

For a detailed look at the objects listed in the catalogue of the second collection as being located at some point at Grosvenor Gardens, see here.

AP, 1 June 2010, updated August 2010.