What did Arthur Onslow grey plaque do at 20 Soho Square?

The Story

# Arthur Onslow Grey at 20 Soho Square Standing before 20 Soho Square today, you're looking at the former residence of Arthur Onslow, who shaped British parliamentary life from this very address during his remarkable 33-year tenure as Speaker of the House of Commons—the longest-serving Speaker in history. From 1728 onwards, this house served as both his London home and an informal nerve centre of political life, where influential MPs, fellow Whigs, and Crown advisors would have crossed the threshold to consult with the man who held the gavel and wielded enormous influence over parliamentary procedure. It was during his decades living on this Soho Square address that Onslow refined his meticulous approach to parliamentary governance, establishing precedents and procedures that would define Commons practice for generations to come. This elegant Georgian townhouse, situated in one of London's most fashionable squares, was thus far more than a residence—it was the private quarters of a man who, while technically neutral as Speaker, quietly orchestrated the smooth functioning of government during some of the most turbulent decades of 18th-century British politics.