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% ;SVOMRK 6IWMHIRGI Trying to live daily life in a house that attracts some 15,000 visitors annually is no easy feat, but British Amb. Sir Peter and Lady Westmacott do it in style.

BY LAURA WAINMAN PORTRAIT PHOTO BY TONY POWELL ALL OTHER PHOTOS BY ERIC SANDER FROM “THE ARCHITECTURE OF DIPLOMACY”

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ashingtonians love to play a game called “Bucket List.” It’s a simple game, really, and merely involves completing as many “Washington” activities as possible in a short period of time after moving to the city so you can call yourself a true Washingtonian. Participate in the Drum Circle at Meridian Park on Sundays, consume a Ben’s chili dog and jumbo slice pizza (preferably at the same time) and know every word to the Redskins fight song. Lists vary person-to-person, but the activity that seems to top every Washington Bucket List, the moment you know you are fully integrated into Washington Life, is being invited to the residence of an ambassador.

These doyens of the intersection between political and social life are the keepers of the keys to some of the most ornate and storied edifices in Washington, and the coveted invitations are not doled out lightly. One of the more imposing stuctures is 3100 Massachusetts Avenue NW, presided over by Sir Peter and Lady Westmacott. From light-hearted receptions honoring the 50th anniversary of the Beatles’ first trip to Washington, where the ambassador was spotted cutting a rug with a wig atop his head, to hosting the last dinner Hilary Clinton attended as secretary of state, the British Ambassador’s Residence, described by the Washington Post in 1929 as “a home fit for a king,” plays host to some 15,000 visitors a year.

And yet, it is still a house where a married couple live their lives like any other.

“I want to look around and feel that this is my home even though I know some rooms are so large and public that there won’t be anything of me in it,” Lady (Susie) Westmacott says.

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PREVIOUS PAGE (clockwise from top left): This view, overlooking the pool, is the highest point on the grounds at 23-feet above the entrance to the chancery; Sir Edward Lutyens loved to play around with suspenseful architecture, seen most prominently in the limestone spiral staircase leading to the Morning Room; Strict rules prevent changing décor in the residence, as the public rooms, such as the drawing room, belong to London. Official permission must be granted; The ballroom is the largest room in the residence and is typically used for large receptions and formal dinners.

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THIS PAGE (clockwise from top left): The wood-paneled library is Sir Peter Westmacott’s favorite room. Even former President Bill Clinton said that if he had the fortune to live in this house, he would never leave the library; The Westmacott’s days are sometimes so busy that they may be hosting two breakfasts at once in different areas, which makes it all the more important that the table in the Morning Room can expand to seat 12 comfortably;The Print Hall on both sides of the Grand Staircase contains 118 prints from the U.K. Government Art Collection and is meant to be an interpretation of print rooms that were fashionable in 18th-century British country houses; Due to Depression-era budget cuts, nothing in the hallway outside the ballroom is made of the material it appears to be.

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Lucky for Lady Westmacott, she was born and raised in Washington and many of her possessions never left the city after she married her husband in 2001 and they moved to Turkey for their first ambassadorial post.The rug and secretaire in the drawing room both belonged to her mother, and the sofas, banquettes and window seats were all new additions to the room requested by the Westmacotts.

“We entertain a lot of guests in the drawing room, and when we arrived it felt too impersonal for Peter’s tastes; he wanted it to feel more home-like so that’s what we did,” Lady Westmacott says.

The ambassador echoes his wife’s desires, adding that making sure his guests — whether they be British, American or any other nationality — feel welcome in his home rather than feeling uncomfortable due to a forbidding atmosphere is a large part of his job. “Doing that job is immensely easier if you have [Edwin] Lutyens on your side,” Sir Peter adds.

Commissioned in the aftermath of World War I, the house was completed by Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens in 1930 as “an appropriately bold statement of the links between the peoples and governments of the two countries,” according to an introduction by Prince Charles of Wales in the recently published book “The Architecture of Diplomacy.” Widely considered Britain’s foremost architect, the house is the only example of Lutyens’ work in North America and purposely blended Neoclassical English elements with influences from Colonial American architecture. The red brick (found in Virginia) exterior, pavilion roofs and tall, ornamented chimneys are reminiscent of a Queen Anne country house, while the south portico and terrace are influenced by American designs such as the porticos at the White House and Monticello. Other décor is distinctly mixed in nature such as the Andy Warhol painting of Queen Elizabeth II in the ballroom, a British icon portrayed by an iconic American artist.

Though Sir Peter and Lady Westmacott have lived in the house for nearly two years, they learned a stunning amount about the building they call home as they assisted in bringing “The Architecture of Diplomacy” to life, a project largely fueled by Lady Westmacott’s thirst for historical knowledge.

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“It was fascinating to learn how much hasn’t really changed since this house was built,” Sir Peter says with his trademark grin.“In 1929, in the middle of the project, the [stock market] crash led to a 10 percent budget cut. Lutyens was forced to scale back on his materials, while still creating a grandiose aesthetic.The marble-looking orange columns in the ballroom are made from scagliola; the frieze is plaster; marble floors became slate floors. It was funny to see that the public purse is always under pressure, no matter what era you are in.”

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