3rd August 2014 Sofia, Bulgaria

100 Years of History in Pictures

by British Embassy Sofia

The British Ambassador’s Residence in Sofia throughout the years. The FCO Historians have kindly provided us with the majority of the below images.

1910: The protocol with which Sofia City Council donated land to the UK to build the Residence (then Legation)
1910: The protocol with which Sofia City Council donated land to the UK to build the Residence (then Legation)
Early 1920s: Ballroom
Early 1920s: Ballroom
1950s: upper left: Guest Bedroom; upper right: Long Gallery; bottom left: Small Drawing Room; bottom right: Dining Room
1950s: upper left: Guest Bedroom; upper right: Long Gallery; bottom left: Small Drawing Room; bottom right: Dining Room
1970s : Bird’s eye view
1970s: Bird’s eye view
1970s : Front Entrance
1970s: Front Entrance
1970s : Garden view
1970s: Garden view
1970s : Ambassador’s  Study
1970s: The Ambassador’s Study
ballroom 1980s
1980s: Ballroom
1990s: left: Ballroom; right: Small Drawing Room
1980s: left: Ballroom; right: Small Drawing Room
1990s: Ballroom
1990s: Ballroom
1990s: Dining Room
1990s: Dining Room
2014: British Ambassador's Residence in Sofia
2014: British Ambassador’s Residence in Sofia

2 comments on “100 Years of History in Pictures

  1. Excellent, and nostalgic, to see these pictures. I was Аташе and later 3-Секретар in the Legation, later Embassy 1962-65. In 1964, under Sir William Harpham, we celebrated Shakespeare’s Quatercentenary by temporarily converting the Residence Ballroom into a theatre (with a two-level stage), and for five nights presented extracts from five plays and five monologues. The finale was five scenes from Macbeth, with costumes borrowed form the Sofia National Opera. Not bad for the depths of the Cold War. The Club in the Residence basement was a fine place to relax, when, fairly rarely, we had the time! The Ambassador’s study was especially well-used by the excellent Bill Harpham. (See also my book Diplomatic Anecdotage, notably Chapters 1-3 on Bulgaria.)

  2. Happy birthday!
    What no invite to the party 🙁
    Maybe next time.
    Have a good day yours to a crisp
    Ian from Kozloduy

Comments are closed.