The grounds are 12 acres (4.9 ha), the largest private garden in London save for that of Buckingham Palace.

Dunstan's included American financier Otto Kahn and British newspaper proprietor Lord Rothermere.

[6] After a fire in 1936, the house and grounds were purchased by Barbara Hutton and the fire-damaged home was then demolished.

[8] During the Second World War, the house was used by a Royal Air Force barrage balloon unit and as an officers' club.

After the war, Hutton sold the house to the American government for a token sum, one dollar.

The interiors have undergone several alterations at various points, including in 1969 by William Haines, a decorator and former silent film star.