Powis House

Powis House was an 18th century mansion in London, England. It stood on the northern side of Great Ormond Street, not far from Queen Square. The first version of Powis House was built in the 1690s for William Herbert, 2nd Marquess of Powis. No drawings of this version survive. At some point it was let for use as the French embassy, and on 26 January 1713 it burned to the ground. Jonathan Swift attributed this event to "the carelessness of the rascally French servants". A replacement house was soon built. It had three main storeys above an arched basement and was 104 feet (32 metres) wide. The subtle but lively façade featured Corinthian pilasters and a phoenix above the front door. The architect is unknown, but may have been French. The...