The premises are in good repair.
Biographical notes.
The ratebooks show that the occupants of this house before 1800 were as follows:—
| 1782–84. | Dr. Tye. |
| 1784–86. | Hon. John Cavendish. |
| 1786– | Hon. Henry Cavendish. |
Henry Cavendish was the elder son of Lord Charles Cavendish, brother of the third Duke of Devonshire, and was born in 1731. His only interest in life seems to have been in natural philosophy, and his manners were characterised by extraordinary reticence and timidity. His scientific discoveries were remarkable, and his work was not only exceedingly wide in scope, but marked by extreme accuracy. In 1766 he began a brilliant series of communications to the Royal Society on the chemistry of gases, containing amongst others his discoveries of the compound nature of water and the composition of nitric acid. He apparently anticipated Black in the discovery of latent heat and specific heat; and he will ever be known to fame as the first man to determine accurately the density of the earth. He died on 10th March, 1810. Most of his time seems to have been spent at his residence near Clapham Common, No. 11, Bedford Square serving as a town house. In 1904, the Duke of Bedford affixed on the latter house a bronze tablet commemorative of Cavendish’s residence.
In the Council’s collection are:—
[[729]]Ground and first floor plans (measured drawing).
[[729]]Exterior (photograph).
General view of staircase from entrance hall (photograph).
[[729]]Marble chimneypiece in front room on ground floor (photograph).