Suffolk House

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The Archbishops of York, no longer possessing Whitehall, built another house next to Durham House. Mary, who in her short reign tried to undo some of the most glaring acts of injustice committed by her two predecessors, had given to the Archbishop of York, Suffolk House in the Borough, which had been the stately home of Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk.

But this the Archbishop had sold, the situation being too far from the Court and Parliament, and had bought this site on the northern bank, on which was an old mansion belonging to the Bishop of Norwich. Archbishop Heath, the builder of the new house, was the only prelate who ever resided in it.

During the occupancy of the See by his five successors it was leased to the Lord Keepers of the Great Seal. Lord Chancellor Bacon, otherwise Francis Earl of Verulam was born here in 1560, and here his father, Nicholas Bacon, died in 1597 and several Lord Chancellors lived here in succession.

Archbishop Matthew allowed the first Duke of Buckingham of the Villiers family to reside in it until an exchange could be made, and it remained in their possession until the second Duke sold it for £30,000.

It was sold to speculators, who built streets and houses on the site, and fancifully named them after him, George Street, Villiers Street, Duke Street and Buckingham Street.

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