Llanover House in Monmouthshire lies about 150 miles west of London, at least it did until it was demolished in 1936.
It was commissioned by Benjamin Hall and his wife and the architect they chose was, relatively unknown these days, Thomas Hopper. He built it in 1836 so the house lasted for just a century. I doubt Hopper is a familiar name but I know two of his other works: the ballroom at Slane Castle in Co. Meath and The Carlton Club in St James’s, the latter being Arthur’s Club when he built it circa 1826.
The Llanover estate was and still is in the hands of Benjamin Hall’s wife’s family with whom we need not concern ourselves today. Benjamin went to Westminster and combined being a politician and civil engineer with a strong interest in all things Welsh. He railed against the abuse of parliamentary election expenses, wanted church services to be conducted in Welsh and rowed with the bishops over the unbounded nepotism in the Anglican Church in Wales. He sounds like a character in a Trollope novel. He was the first President of the Board of Health and subsequently, in 1854, was appointed First Commissioner of Works. At first I thought incorrectly he was the first Commissioner of Works.
As First Commissioner of Works “he was responsible for many environmental and sanitary improvements in London. He oversaw the later stages of the rebuilding of the Houses of Parliament, including the installation of the 13.8-tonne hour bell, “Big Ben”, in the clock tower. He was a tall man and many attribute its name to him” (Wikipedia). Isn’t that interesting? He gathered many appointments and titles, notably being created a Baronet and then a Baron, choosing to be called Lord Llanover. Frankly, I’d never heard of him until I noticed this drinking fountain in Kensington Gardens.
The inscription reads:
“This drinking fountain marks the site of an ancient spring which in 1856 was named Saint Govor’s Well by the First Commissioner of Works later to become Lord Llanover. Saint Govor, a sixth century hermit, was the patron saint of a church at Llanover which had eight wells in its churchyard.”
As it happens it was just about the only thing to drink at Llanover as Lady Llanover was a staunch and active crusader in the temperance movement. The circular stone above the original well was put there in 1976 explaining its contemporary appearance. Look out for it on your right, next time you walk north up The Broad Walk from Hyde Park Gate to the statue of Queen Victoria.