MARYLEBONE,or Sr Mary Bourne, as itwasformerly known, came intoI existence in the 15th century whenthe two manors of Tyburn ond Lillestonbecame joined. Henry VIli laid aside land forhunting in the locality, and built the RoyalHouse of Marylebone in the early 16thcentury as his hunting lodge. WeymouthStreet was later constructed on what wereoriginally the gardens of the Royal House.ln 1650 the gardens were leased out to osuccession of showmen who set up anamusement park known as MaryleboneGardens. The park included a bowlinggreen,a bear pit,pits for cock fightingand dog fighting, and a raised stage forboxing and another for concers.Af onepoint the gardens even hosted a bullfight.

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ln 1710 the Marylebone estate wos boughtby John Holles,Duke of Newcostle. Hisdaughter Henrietta married Edward Harleyin 1713,and the estate then passed to theirdaughfer Margoret Cavendish Harley. She inturn married the 2nd Duke of Portland whobecame Lord of the Manor.The Duke initioteda large and grand residential project in thearea. In 1759,the 3rd Viscount Weymouthmarried Lady Elizobeth Cavendish, thebrother of the Duke. Weymouth made hisshare of theprofits from the estate byundertaking to build houses on plots of landwhich he leased,naming Weymouth Streefafter himself in the process. Weymouth Streetwos laid out in1776 by which timeMarylebone Gardens hod become knownas Marylebone Spo. The Spa wos enclosedby thenew roads of Beaumont Stree1,Weymouth Street, Horley Street andMarylebone Road, and remained a popularaHraction for the following two years untilresidentiol building engulfed the site.

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By 1778 the building of Poriland Place waswell under way. Known os the grandest sireetof the 18th centfury, it wos laid oui by thearchitects Robert and James Adam and owesits superb width fo an underiaking given loLord Foley that the view norihwards from thewindows of his house,which blocked thesouthern end of Porland Place, shouldnever be obscured. Thomas Foley was knownby his contemporories as 'Lord Balloon',because of his girth. He was a friendof the architect John Nash,who laler wenton to build Regent Street,between 1813ond 1823, connectingthe southernend of Portlond Place with Carlton House onPall Mall, the paloce of the PrinceRegent, who later become George IV.

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On the site currently occupied by number 22Weymouth Sfreet a Georgian terraced housewos built. By1851 it had been divided upinto separate lodgings,and wos oecupiedby a master boker, ateo-dealer and aconfectioner's porter,who eoch occupied afloor with their family. From 1870 until 1901the whole building was occupied by thephysician Dovid Lees and his wifeLouisa and their children, together with aretinue of four domestic servants.DavidLees was aphysicion at Greot OrmondStreet Hospilal in the 1890s,and alsolectured al Saint Mory's Hospital on theeorly diognosis of pulmonary tuberculosis.

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Weymouth Streel hos been home to thefamous,noiobly Michoel Faraday who livedat number 18 from 1B09,ond also BryanWaller Procler,the English poet betier knownby his pseudonym Barry Cornwall,who livedat number 13.Number 22 is olso locotednexd 1o the Chinese Embossy which wosdesigned by the Adam brothers as porl of the Portland Ploee development.  demoonin1980 under the pretexct of diplomaticimmunity coused much controversy,although the exerior hos since been rebuilf in rephIc.

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By the 1930s the original building ot number 22 hod cleorly deterioroted.The sitRgsacquired by the building contracAr Bos.and the Choirmgn.Yincent .ilus thedecided to hove his own house buiio theplot.He commissioned Sir Giles iber Sodsos the orchitec.Sir Giles wos areStrtioa Tefor his design of BaHersea Power Stotion, the Anglicon Cathedral in Liverpool, and theUniversity Library ot Cambridge. He also designed thc amo PresidentofThsir Gies institule of Briish Architecls in 1933. Sir Giles was assisted by his brather Adrian cnd theproperty was built in 1934.Iwos par ofverysmall portfolio ofprivatohouses designed by the brothers,and in general characterresemblesGilberiScott's own house in Bayswater.

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The building is a deft combination ofmodernist ond restrained clossical styles. Theconstruclion is mainly of brick,although theground floor is of reinforced conerete. Theupper floors use wooden joists,with theceilings suspended on separafe joists toreduce sound transmission. The exterior isfoced with red hand-made bricks of the samestock used for Cambridge University Library.The front entrance has a reeded architraveand the entrance steps are flanked by stoneplanters. The hipped roof is covered inLombardic tiles, and roof drainage isconcealed within internal ducts. The centrolporion of the first floor breaks fonward onlyslightly, and comprises a loggio, with twowindows behind; this is flanked by a pair ofwindows on eoch side. Soldier course bandsof Srick continue across the window heads.The house hos Georgian-style timber sashwindows. Internally, the joinery is of Siberianpine originally stained grey, while theskirting and architraves in the hall are ofSan Stefano stone, variant of RomanStone. There are several late 18th centuryneo-classiccl chimneypieces which wereinstolled when the house wos built, and thiselement is typical of Sir Giles' skill in subtlyblending modernist and classical styles.

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Vincent Esme Gluckstein lived in the houseuntil the Second World Wor,with AmyAldinglon and three servants.In 1937 hechonged his nome by deedpoll toVincent EsmeVincent,' probably as odefence agoinst the virulent anti-Semitismof the time. After the war he retired toMidhurst inSussex and died in 1971.

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The second owners of number 22 were Ericand Susan Riches.Eric Riches wos ConsultantUrologist to the Army ond to the Ministry ofPensions Spinal Iniuries Centre.He becameHunterian professor at the Royal College ofSurgeons in 1938 and, in 1942, wos bothHunterian professor and JacksonianPrizeman. In 1955 he designed a new formof cysloscope.He wos knighted in 1958. SirEric, and Lady Riches sold the house toArkadion Ovorseas Ld. in 1980. Since thenthe company has renled the property toasuccession of foreign nationals.

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ln 2009 the building received its Grode lListed slotus,thanks lorgely to the efforts ofthe 20th Century Socicty,a group devated 1opreserving Britoin's orchifeclurol heritage.Number 22 is curently letto Rcn cnd HirokoRowald who moved in with their daughtersNicole, Erica andiAlexandra in August 2008.

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