Durham House , the historic London residence of the Bishop of Durham , was built circa 1345 and demolished in the mid @-@ 17th century . Having once been the home of Anne Boleyn , it had become derelict by the mid @-@ 17th century and was demolished in 1660 . Durham Street and the Adelphi Buildings was built on its site . York House was built as the London residence for the Bishop of Norwich not later than 1237 . At the time of the Reformation it was acquired by King Henry VIII and came to be known as York House when he granted it to the Archbishop of York in 1556 . In the 1620s it was acquired by the royal favourite George Villiers , 1st Duke of Buckingham , and after an interlude during the Civil War it was returned to George Villiers , 2nd Duke of Buckingham , who sold it to developers in 1672 . It was then demolished and new streets and buildings built on the site , including George Street , Villiers Street , Duke Street , Of Alley , and Buckingham Street .