Margaret Greville, the last owner of Polesden Lacey
Super-rich socialite, Dame Margaret Greville, was the last private owner of Polesden Lacey. Between 1906 and 1942 Polesden was her weekend retreat and the place where she entertained royalty, politicians and celebrities at lavish weekend parties. To find out more about Mrs Greville, why not watch the short film above?
Quiet beginnings
Margaret Helen Anderson was born in London on 20 December 1863. Margaret's birth certificate states that her parents are Helen Anderson and William Murray Anderson - however in fact, her natural parents were Helen Anderson and William McEwan, a successful brewer.
William Murray Anderson was in fact an employee at William McEwan's Edinburgh brewery. To save Helen's reputation, and provide the baby with legitimacy, it is believed that McEwan sent Helen and William Anderson to London to have the baby. As they had the same surname, no one would question whether they were actually man and wife when they registered Margaret's birth.
In early spring 1864, William Anderson returned to Edinburgh, his job at the brewery and his complicit wife. Helen and Margaret followed a couple of months later.
William McEwan and Helen eventually married when Margaret was 21 and, although there were always rumours about Margaret's true parentage, McEwan was referred to as Margaret's step-father. By the time of their marriage, McEwan was a well-respected businessman and liberal MP, and the family lived in Mayfair.
Mrs Greville and Ronnie
Margaret married Captain Ronald 'Ronnie' Greville, heir to a baronetcy and a member of the Marlborough house set, the social circle around the future King Edward VII, in 1891.
It was a mutually beneficial match; through her 'step-father', Margaret brought money to the marriage.
'...she had the sense to meet and marry a man who as a member of a good family who I think was not rich at all but quite poor, and I suppose with him as a background she was able to get into Society' (People and Places by S.E.D. Fortescue)
The ideal husband: well connected
Society hostess
Margaret and Ronnie lived in Mayfair and, when Ronnie retired as MP for East Bradford in 1906, they bought Polesden Lacey as their weekend retreat the following year. The couple commissioned architects Mewès and Davis, famous for remodelling the Ritz Hotel in London, to entirely renovate the house. Sadly, Ronnie died in April 1908, a year before renovations were completed.
Margaret hosted her first house party at Polesden in June 1909, over a year later and marking her return to society; the guest of honour was none other than King Edward VII. She continued to host the great and good of the day for the next 30 years – including Winston Churchill, Beverly Nichols and Queen Ena of Spain.
A summer party on the south lawn at Polesden Lacey
Not only was Margaret a popular hostess, she also had a great knowledge of business and politics. She was a board member at McEwan's brewery and was said to have great influence over many politicians of the time.
Margaret passed away at the Dorchester Hotel on 15 September 1942, leaving Polesden Lacey to the National Trust 'for the largest number of people to have enjoyment thereof'.
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