• Introduction
• Scotland Office
• Past Secretaries
• Dover House
• - The Site
• - The Building
• - Sir Matthew Featherstonehaugh
    and others 1756-1788
• - Frederick, Duke of York 1788-1792
• - The Melbourne family 1793-1830
• - The Dover Family 1830-1885
• - The Scottish Office 1885-1999
• - The Scotland Office 1999-Present

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The History of Dover House by Eric Miller OBE

Dover House was until June 1999 the London Headquarters of the Scottish Office and, in particular, the Secretary of State for Scotland, his ministerial team and a small support staff of civil servants. From July 1999 it has been the Headquarters of the Scotland Office. This narrative attempts to draw the architectural strands that make this such an important building with a number of different historical references, some of which scandalised Georgian society, to help the reader appreciate what a treasure we have, which for too long has been known to only a few. Since 1995 we have sought to redress this and make Dover House available to Scottish interests whether they are industry and commerce, or charities to show to London, and thus the world, what Scotland has to offer. Never have we had such an opportunity of showing a wider audience such a unique building steeped in the history of more than three centuries.

Read more about:

• The Site
• The Building

Or jump straight into a short history of some of the occupants and events that are inexorably linked to the building. This is not, nor is it meant to be, exhaustive, but it does seek to provide the reader with a framework of historical perspective when viewing the House.

The list of occupants is as follows :

• 1755-1758 construction
• 1756-1774 Sir Matthew Featherstonehaugh Bt MP
• 1777-1778 The French Ambassador (The Marquis de Noailles)
• 1779-1787 Lord Amherst
• 1788-1792 The Duke of York
• 1793-1830 The Melbourne family
• 1830-1847 Lord Dover
• 1847-1860 Lady Dover & Viscount Clifden
• 1860-1866 Viscount Clifden
• 1866-1875 Lady Clifden
• 1875-1885 Lady Clifden & Lt-Col Sir W Stirling
• 1885-1999 The Scottish Office
• 1999-Present The Scotland Office