Embassy of the United Kingdom, Washington, D.C.

The British Embassy Washington (commonly known in the United States as the Embassy of the United Kingdom, Washington, D.C.) is the British sovereign's diplomatic mission to the United States of America, representing the United Kingdom and the United Kingdom's interests. It is located at 3100 Massachusetts Avenue NW in Washington, D.C.

British Embassy Washington
Embassy of the United Kingdom, Washington, D.C.

Location Washington, D.C.
Address3100 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Coordinates38°55′11″N 77°03′40″W
AmbassadorDame Karen Pierce since 23 March 2020[1][2]
WebsiteBritish Embassy, Washington
The embassy's location in Washington, D.C.

Consulates

Additionally, the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO; often commonly known simply as the Foreign Office) also maintains consulates-general in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York City, and San Francisco, headed by consuls-general. There are also British Consulates called (instead) the UK Government Offices in Denver, and in Seattle, headed by consuls.

Area

The embassy is situated in a compound that is home to the ambassador's residence and the old and new chanceries. The residence was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens to resemble an English country manor, with the old chancery facing the street. By the 1950s, the old chancery was deemed too cramped, and the new chancery, designed by chief architect Eric Bedford was constructed from 1955–1961, with Queen Elizabeth II laying the foundation stone on 19 October 1957.[3] Part of the old chancery was converted into staff quarters, and the rest is currently occupied by the offices of the British Council. The British government was the first nation to build an embassy in the area that would later become known as Embassy Row.

Outside the British ambassador's residence stands a statue of Sir Winston Churchill. One of the statue's feet is inside the marked embassy grounds; the other is within the District of Columbia. The embassy's website states that this symbolizes Churchill's Anglo-American parentage (his father was British, his mother American) and his status as an honorary citizen of the United States.[4]

The gardens of the ambassador's residence were planted by Elizabeth Sherman Lindsay. Lady Lindsay was a landscape gardener and wife of lifelong British diplomat Sir Ronald Lindsay.[5]

  • The embassy building
  • British Ambassador's Residence
  • Winston Churchill (1966) by William McVey

Staff

The embassy is one of the largest in Washington, employing 210 diplomats and approximately 250 additional staffers. Dame Karen Pierce was appointed on 7 February 2020[1] following the resignation of her predecessor, Sir Kim Darroch, due to a diplomatic row between the US and UK as a result of a leaked memo describing President Donald Trump as "inept".[6] Dame Karen was accredited by the State Department and formally took office on 23 March.[2]

Events
Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh with President Gerald Ford at the British Embassy in July 1976

On June 8, 1939, the embassy, hosted by Ambassador Sir Ronald Lindsay, held a garden party for King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, the first time that reigning British monarchs had visited the United States.[7]

On February 11, 1964, a reception was held there for The Beatles, who had played their first concert in America earlier that day at the Washington Coliseum.[8]

On July 7, 2005, the United States Army Band played "God Save the Queen" outside the embassy in remembrance of the victims of the 7 July 2005 London bombings.[9] This mirrored the Band of the Coldstream Guards' unprecedented performance of "The Star-Spangled Banner" during the Changing of the Queen's Guard at Buckingham Palace on September 13, 2001 in remembrance of the victims of the September 11 attacks in the United States.[10][11]

Film depiction

The embassy was depicted in fiction in the 2006 BBC Television miniseries The State Within.

See also

References
  1. Wintour, Patrick (7 February 2020). "Karen Pierce appointed first female British ambassador to US". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  2. Pierce, Karen [@KarenPierceUK] (23 March 2020). "Delighted to be accredited by @StateDept this afternoon as the new UK Ambassador. For me, the US is the UK's single most important bilateral relationship. We share experiences in war and peace, in defence, in commerce and now in tackling the coronavirus crisis" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  3. "A History of the Gardens of the Ambassador's Residence, British Embassy, Washington". Archived from the original on 2014-01-03. Retrieved 2014-01-07.
  4. CHURCHILL, Winston: Statue at the British Embassy in Washington, D.C. by William McVey located in James M. Goode's Massachusetts Avenue area. Dcmemorials.com. Retrieved on 2013-08-24.
  5. Ames, Olivia, editor (1960). The Letters of Elizabeth Sherman Lindsay, 1911–1954. New York: Privately printed. OCLC 81817859.
  6. "Sir Kim Darroch resigns as UK ambassador to US". BBC News. Archived from the original on 10 July 2019. Retrieved 10 July 2019.
  7. http://washingtonembassygardens.wordpress.com/2014/02/09/the-royal-garden-party/ The Royal Garden Party: A History of the Gardens of the Ambassador's Residence, British Embassy, Washington. Retrieved on 2014-02-09.
  8. John Lennon Interview: British Embassy, Washington D.C. 2/11/1964 – Beatles Interviews Database. Beatlesinterviews.org (1964-02-11). Retrieved on 2013-08-24.
  9. CNN.com – Transcripts. Transcripts.cnn.com (2005-07-08). Retrieved on 2013-08-24.
  10. Kelso, Paul (14 September 2001). "US anthem played at changing of the guard". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 November 2015.
  11. Graves, David (14 September 2001). "Palace breaks with tradition in musical tribute". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 26 November 2015.
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