Decimus Burton's villa and its palm house screen

Decimus Burton designed the villa, formerly known as Grove House, between 1822 and 1824 as a bachelor residence for the geologist George Bellas Greenough. One of the notable features of the grounds is the palm house, which Burton designed to form a screen against "unpleasant objects" in the villa's environment. The structure is described as one of Burton's first experiments in the structural use of iron and glass.

Following the death of Greenough, the lease passed to Francis Smedley, then to his son Francis Edward Smedley, and eventually to his cousin Menella Bute Smedley, who had acted as his private secretary. The property was occupied by Thomas Greer from 1878 until 1905. In 1907, the property was sold to Sigismund Goetze, who painted interior murals and had the stable block converted into an artist's studio in 1909.

The house was purchased by the Nuffield Foundation in 1952 and renamed Nuffield Lodge. In 1986, the foundation gave up the lease, and the property reverted to its name Grove House as a private residence. It was later owned by the Sultan of Oman, Qaboos bin Said, until his death in 2020, when ownership was succeeded by Haitham bin Tariq. The house remains a Grade I listed residence on Prince Albert Road.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons