Ranger's House - Greenwich, London, UK - English Heritage - Cadw - Historic Scotland on Waymarking.com

The Friends of the Ranger's House website tells us about the history of the house:

The House was built in 1699 by Captain Francis Hosier. Greenwich was a popular area for senior naval figures to build their homes. Greenwich, Deptford and Woolwich being, of course, the centre for maritime activity in the 17th Century, they would have been very familiar with the area. For example James Wolfe's parents lived in the adjacent property.

The escarpment running east to west across Greenwich Park, meant that many houses adjacent to the park had an elevated position, enabling scrutiny of the river from their roofs, which in the days before electronic communications, was an important consideration.

The House was built as a red brick symmetrical Queen Anne property with the façade surrounding the entrance in Portland stone. The key stone over the front door is a stone mask of Neptune, probably in remembrance of the ship he first served on as a nineteen year old lieutenant in 1692. The villa has a flat roof, surrounded by a stone balustrade. Many of the smaller room inside the house retain their original panelling and there is a large entrance hall with a black and white marble chequered floor.

When the house came into the ownership of Philip Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield (1748-1773), he built a large single storey eastern wing in London stock brick, to house his extensive art collection. This is now called the Chesterfield Gallery. At this period the House became known as Chesterfield House.

During Richard Hulse's period of tenure (1783-1805), he added the western or left hand wing to the front, returning symmetry to the House. This was also built in London stock brick.

Royal Connection
In 1815 the House became a 'Grace and Favour' residence, with Princess Sophia Matilda moving into the House, as the first resident Ranger of Greenwich Park. This was a sinecure in the gift of the King or Queen and the House became known as The Ranger's House. During this period the gallery was divided into three rooms, and a singularly unattractive red brick portico was built to link the front door to Chesterfield Walk. Thankfully this has now been removed. In those days ladies shoes were, of course, far less robust, so perhaps one can be sympathetic.

Twentieth century to the present day
In 1896 the last Ranger left and in 1902 the lease was sold to the London County Council. At the nadir of its existence, the present pink drawing room was the tea room for Greenwich Park and there were also changing room and toilet facilities for activities on Blackheath. There are some interesting photographs on display at the House of the drawing room as a self service café.

The House was Requisitioned during the Second World War but between 1959 and 1960 it was restored architecturally after which it was used for local history exhibitions, organised by the Blackheath Society, with the LCC architects' offices upstairs.

In 1974 the Ranger's House re-opened as a gallery for the Suffolk Collection. The House and collection passed into the hands of English Heritage in 1986.

The whole house was completely refurbished in the late 1990s, in order to display 'The Wernher Collection', with some rooms re-decorated to resemble rooms at Bath House, where the collection had originally been displayed.