Great College Street

Great College Street
Locations	London, UK

Residents

• 5 Radcliffes Le Brasseur Solicitors (Office & Administration). 5 Great College Street London SW1P 3SJ
• 14 Centre for European Reform | International Association of Business and Parliament | Commission on the Scrutiny Role of Parliament | Hansard Society | Parliamentary Communications Publishers (Head Office) Ltd. | Public Policy Exchange | Electus Select - 'Electus is the leading search and selection consultancy for Public Affairs Jobs plus Government Relations and Political Communications appointments.'(former residnet) | The House Magazine (another parliamentary monitor, owned by Parliamentary Communications)(former resident) | A W Knowledge Publishers (Office & Administration) | London Fine Foods Group
• 15 Arcade Traffic Management Car Parking & Garaging (Shops & other Retail Outlets) SW1P 3RX | College Credit Car Credit & Finance (Head Office) | P C F Equipment Leasing Plant & Machinery Hire & Leasing (Office & Administration) | Private & Commercial Finance Co Credit & Finance Companies (Office & Administration) 15 Great College Street London SW1P 3RX
• 16 Bell Pottinger Public Affairs - former resident
• 22 Society Of St John The Evangelist Religious Organisations (Places of Worship) St Edwards House, 22 Great College Street London SW1P 3QA

History

No. 14

No. 14 belonged to Charles Trevelyan (Parliamentary Secretary of the Board of Education). Trevelyan, along with

John Burns (President of the Local Government Board) and John Morley (Secretary of State for India), were opposed to the country becoming involved in a European war. They informed the Prime Minister, Herbert Asquith, that they intended to resign over the issue. When war was declared on 4th August, three of the men, Trevelyan, Burns and Morley, resigned, but Asquith managed to persuade Lloyd George, his Chancellor of the Exchequer, to change his mind.

The day after war was declared, Trevelyan began contacting friends about a new political organisation he intended to form to oppose the war. This included two pacifist members of the Liberal Party, Norman Angell and E. D. Morel, and Ramsay MacDonald, the leader of the Labour Party. A meeting was held and after considering names such as the Peoples' Emancipation Committee and the Peoples' Freedom League, they selected the Union of Democratic Control.

The four men agreed that one of the main reasons for the conflict was the secret diplomacy of people like Britain's foreign secretary, Sir Edward Grey. They decided that the Union of Democratic Control should have three main objectives: (1) that in future to prevent secret diplomacy there should be parliamentary control over foreign policy; (2) there should be negotiations after the war with other democratic European countries in an attempt to form an organisation to help prevent future conflicts; (3) that at the end of the war the peace terms should neither humiliate the defeated nation nor artificially rearrange frontiers as this might provide a cause for future wars.

The founders of the Union of Democratic Control produced a manifesto and invited people to support it. Over the next few weeks several leading figures joined the organisation. This included members of the Liberal Party (Arthur Ponsonby, J. A. Hobson, Charles Buxton, Frederick Pethick-Lawrence, Norman Angell, Arnold Rowntree, Philip Morrel, Morgan Philips Price, George Cadbury) and the Labour Party (Helena Swanwick, Fred Jowett, Ramsay MacDonald, Tom Johnston, Philip Snowden, Arthur Henderson, David Kirkwood, William Anderson, Isabella Ford, H. H. Brailsford). Others who joined who were not actively involved in party politics at that time included Israel Zangwill, Bertrand Russell, Margaret Llewelyn Davies, Konni Zilliacus, Margaret Sackville and Morgan Philips Price). Trevelyan's house (14 Great College Street, London) became the UDC's headquarters.

No. 16

No. 16 Great College Street is a Grade II* Listed five storey terraced house in the City of Westminster within the Smiths Square Conservation Area. Scott Brownrigg's brief as planners and architects was to secure planning permission and listed building consent for the refurbishment of the £10m property and return it to its original form as a single family dwelling, incorporating the features required by a modern family.

The conservation-led approach to the project is reinforced by the refurbishment or preservation of the majority of the fabric of the building as it already exists. The period features are then enhanced by inserting contemporary and freestanding fixtures and furnishings that are required for every day living.

Many thanks to our Patrons who cover ~2/3 of our hosting bill. Please join them if you can.