BritWeek Celebrates 50 Years of Britain in Los Angeles

The British Consul General

The British Consul General heads an office on Los Angeles’ Westside that has responsibility for British interests in five states. A Consulate General is, in essence, an extension of the Embassy. There can only be one Embassy in a country, however, and the British Embassy is in Washington. The current Consul General, Bob Peirce, and his wife Sharon have been in Los Angeles since 2005.

The Consul General’s Residence

A 1928 house in Hancock Park, an architectural gem by Wallace Neff, was purchased fifty years ago by the British Government to be the permanent official Residence for the British Consul General. Bob Peirce is the twelfth Consul General to live at the Residence. The Residence is used for many different kinds of events, all for the purpose of enriching and developing the connections between Britain and Los Angeles. Over the past year, for example, there have been lunches and dinners for senior members of the British Government and members of the Royal Family; receptions for the music, film, videogame, energy, biopharma and medical industries; a champagne tea party for British Oscar nominees (seven of whom won Oscars); receptions for several British universities; a chamber music recital and a fashion show luncheon, among many other events. Several thousand people come to Residence every year.

for Letter from British Consul General Bob Peirce