The UK-Korean diplomatic relationship started with the negotiation of a first Treaty in 1882 (History of UK-Korea relations).  The decision to agree a treaty lead to William George Aston, a Korean speaking British member of the Consular Service who was to become the first consul-general, being tasked with identifying a suitable site for the first diplomatic mission in Seoul. 

Aston decided that the house in which he was lodging on land alongside the Deoksu Palace would fit the requirements.  The area was originally royal land, but most of it slipped out of control into the hands of courtiers and the area had become run down.  The area was also soon to benefit from the king's decision to allow foreigners to dwell within the city walls and would become the heart of the city's foreign quarter.

The house occupied some 700 square yards on a hill commanding a fine view of the then low-rise city spread out below it.  The building was a Korean-style house with numerous small buildings arranged around a courtyard, mostly in poor repair.  An asking price of 10,500 ryang (about £200) was agreed in 1884.

The land was purchased with the first British staff originally living in the old Korean buildings.  By the late 1880s several of the staff had fallen ill, in part due to the poor condition of the buildings, and the decision was taken to erect new buildings to house the British staff. 

On 18 January 1889, Mr Marshall at the Office of Works in Shanghai forwarded preliminary drawings of the new buildings to London together with details of likely costs.  The drawings show a set of two storey buildings with wide verandas of a design, which was standard for China coast consular buildings.  The Number One House, or the consul-general's house, stood at the top of the small hill on which the compound was located, and was the slightly bigger of the two.  On the ground floor was a large L-shaped public room for receptions, an office for the consul general, a drawing room and a dining room overlooked the gardens.  Kitchens and servants quarters were in a detached building behind.  Upstairs were four bedrooms, each with an attached bathroom.

The second building sat half way between the Number One House and the gate was a smaller squarer building.  Lower down the hill were the offices for the vice-consul and the writer, together with various other buildings which housed local staff and servants. 
Treasury approval for the works was finally gained in April 1889 and by mid-May 1890 work was reader to begin and the original houses were pulled down. 

On 19 July 1890, Mrs Hillier, the wife of then consul-general Water Hillier, laid the foundation stone for the residence of the consul-general.  The stone recorded that it has been laid in the 54th year of the reign of Queen Victoria, the 8th year of the Chinese Emperor Kuang Hsu and the 499th year of the Corean era.  The original stone now stands in the entrance hall of House Number One, now known as the Ambassador's Residence.  The house was completed a year after work started.

By the autumn of 1891 the Hillier family was able to occupy the upper floor of the new house as work continued on the second building.  In May 1892 as the project was completed at a cost including land of £6213.  Hillier reported that the new buildings had aroused considerable local interest and had caught the attention of King Kojong who had carefully followed progress of the works from the adjacent palace and who asked to see the plans and photographs on completion.  The nearby US minister also said that the buildings could be seen 'as a guarantee of [British] interest in the country…' while a few years later the Korean Repository described the buildings as 'two of the best…in Seoul'.

Gardens were also developed in the compound including lawns, which provided a good site for special occasions.  Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee was celebrated in style in 1897 with a party for foreign and Korean dignitaries and garden parties to celebrate the birthday of the Queen became a regular fixture.  Tennis courts were also laid out on the grounds.  One oft repeated (but unsubstantiated) story claims that King Kojong and Queen Min, viewing tennis being played next door to their palace, wondered why these important foreigners did not get their servants to undertake such strenuous exercise for them!

By the 1920s Seoul was becoming a modern city with a sizeable foreign community, good roads and facilities and by 1928 there was electricity for lighting the compound. 
But by the late 1930s political tensions meant that the Japanese powers viewed foreigners in Korea with increasing suspicion and life became more restricted.

When war came to Korea on 8 December 1941 the British community had been much reduced.  The consulate-general staff were held on the compound before being moved to Japan and then repatriated in 1942.  With the departure of the staff, the compound passed to the care of the Swiss consul-general though there was little attempt at proper maintenance and the buildings fell into disrepair. 

The British played no part in the occupation of Korea in 1945 and it was not until the end of that year that a British officer visited Seoul to examine the state of the consulate-general.  Neglect had lead to both buildings becoming dilapidated and the gardens had been totally neglected since 1942.  Significant work was required to bring them back to reasonable order.

Throughout the late 1940s the number of diplomats at the consulate-general increased, with many engaged in observing and reporting on the newly divided peninsula.  With the start of hostilities in June 1950, the British community were advised to leave and were evacuated by the Americans.  Most of the consulate-general staff remained in the legation compound believing that the UK would remain neutral.  With the BBC World Service announcing that Britain supported UN involvement in Korea, this belief could no longer be sustained.

As the North Korean forces took Seoul, at first those on the legation were not disturbed.  But on the late afternoon of 2 July, North Korean officers arrived to take the staff to the Seoul Police Headquarters before being taken to Pyongyang.  It is not clear what happened to the compound after then, though it has been suggested that it was used to store furniture and other items taken from around the city.  House Number One suffered some damage when the radio station next door was destroyed.  The house was also hit by bullets and many of the bricks had to be replaced.  It has been reported that at one stage the house and grounds were occupied by Chinese troops and were later used by the British and Australians as an army mess.

Whatever earlier use they may have been put to, the buildings were in a very poor state by February 1953.  When Colonel F M Hill, an officer with the Royal Engineers visited Seoul at that time he was both appalled and impressed noting; "the main shells of the buildings are practically indestructible!  Frankly I don't think I have ever seen before two such dreadful buildings and I think that it is a thousand pities that they were not bombed to bits so as to give an excuse for the building of more modern and comfortable replacements."

Despite Colonel Hill's views, repairs on the buildings began and the legation formally reopened in January 1954.  The first function held in the re-opened legation was an informal reception attended by the Republic of Korea Foreign Minister on 12 February 1954 and in June the Queen's Birthday Party was celebrated at the legation once again.   In 1957 the status of the British diplomatic mission was upgraded to that of an embassy with the then minister, Hubert J Evans becoming the first ambassador.  House Number One became the British ambassador's residence.

Over a hundred and fifteen years after the start of construction, House Number One is still in use today and looks much as it did on completion.  In addition to being home to the ambassador and his family, the residence plays a valuable role in the work of the Embassy, hosting official receptions, parties, and commercial events.  One of the highlights of its history was in 1999 when a garden party was held for Her Majesty The Queen and British veterans of the Korean War during Her Majesty's State Visit to the Republic of Korea.  Such events form part of a historical pattern stretching back to the dinners hosted by the first British Consular Service officers to serve in Korea.

With well-established and spacious gardens and with the development of many high-rise buildings in the area, many first-time visitors to the residence are surprised to find a relatively sheltered oasis in the centre of the bustling city of Seoul.  The residence and other buildings on the compound have been part of the grand and sad events of Korea's history since the 1880s.  As that long-dead US envoy said, they still serve as a token of Britain's interest and involvement with Korea over the last hundred years.

This article is based on a history written by Dr Jim Hoare, former Head of Chancery at the British Embassy Seoul from 1981-1985 and the first British diplomat and Chargé d'Affaires resident in Pyongyang in the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea.