Eagle House, Wimbledon Village
In the heart of Wimbledon Village stands One of the o finest examples of a Jacobean Manor house to survive in London. Eagle House was built in 1613 or 1617 (depending on which sources you consult) for Robert Bell, Master of the Worshipful Company of Girdlers and co-founder and a director of the British East India Company. Bell's father and grandfather were both Wimbledon residents and he inherited the site. Bell died childless in 1640 and, after his wife's death in 1647, the house was sold to Sir Richard Betenson. His grandson sold the house again in 1700 to Richard Ivatt, an alderman of London. Ivatt's grandson sold the building again to George Bond in 1766. Bond rented the house out and the Rt hon William Greville was a tenant in 1787. |