The Great House

The Great House is an impressive 1680s English Baroque-style townhouse built on the site of the former Black Boy Inn.

This unique monument impresses with its seven-part façade, crenellation and semi-circular staircase leading to a pedimented door. The interior is decorated with an oak staircase with religious and allegorical paintings by Dutch artist James de Witte.

In the past, the famous lexicographer Dr. Samuel Johnson and writer Fanny Burney were guests here. During World War II, members of Winston Churchill's cabinet lived here. The vaulted cellars with original stoves and wine niches are a reminder of the building's history as a former inn.