Winfield House replaced an original Georgian mansion, Hertford House, designed by Decimus Burton in 1829. It was owned at the end of the 19th century by the Marquis of Hertford, who renamed it St Dunstan’s Villa. It was used as a hospital for blind veterans of WW1 giving the name to the charity St Dunstan’s, which still exists. The building was bought in a poor state by Barbara Hutton, the US heiress and granddaughter of the founder of the Woolworth retail empire. She renamed it Winfield house, having rebuilt it in red brick neo-Georgian style. She later gave the house to the American people. It is no longer visible from the park or the roads nearby due to the thick hedge and 12 acre garden (in London, second only in size to garden of Buckingham Palace). Since 1955 it has been the official residence of the United States Ambassador.
