Claremont

Claremont, a mansion at Esher, Surrey, 14½ miles SW. of London, originally built for himself by Sir John Vanbrugh. The present house was built in 1768 by Lord Clive for £100,000, from designs by 'Capability' Brown. When the Princess Charlotte was married to Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg, Claremont was assigned as their residence, and here in 1817 she died. In 1848 Leopold, then king of Belgium, placed it at the disposal of his father-in-law, ex-king Louis-Philippe, who inhabited it till his death in August 1850. At the death of Leopold in 1865, an act was passed granting it to the Queen for life, after which it was to revert to the country. The Queen in 1882 bought the reversion of Claremont (for £73,000), and it became her private property.