Bushy House

Bushy House is a Grade II* listed former royal residence in Teddington in South West London, on the site of the National Physical Laboratory, overlooking Bushy Park. Bushy House and 30acre of surrounding Bushy Park land were proposed as a site for the National Physical Laboratory in 1900 after concerns about flooding of the previously proposed site in the Old Deer Park. The ground floor and basement levels of Bushy House were converted to laboratory space and Richard Glazebrook, the first director of NPL, and later other directors, used part of the building as private accommodation.Today, Bushy House still contains a number of laboratories, two small museums that mainly contain old scientific equipment and several rooms used for meetings and conferences.HistoryBushy House was originally built in 1663 by William Samwell for Edward Proger, at a cost of £4000, as a keeper's lodge in what was at the time North Park. Proger had been made ranger of Bushy Park to reward him for his loyalty to King Charles II during his exile.It was rebuilt and repaired by Charles Montagu from 1713 to 1715 after he had bought the three parks from the Duchess of Cleveland. The house then passed to Charles' cousin George Montague (1715–1737) and then to George's son George Montague-Dunk (1737–1771). From 1771 to 1792, it was occupied by Lord North the Prime Minister.