Embassy of the United Kingdom, Brussels

Coordinates: 50°50′30″N 4°23′04″E / 50.8418°N 4.3845°E / 50.8418; 4.3845
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British Embassy, Brussels
Map
LocationBelgium Brussels, Belgium
AddressAvenue d'Auderghem / Oudergemlaan 10
Coordinates50°50′30″N 4°23′04″E / 50.8418°N 4.3845°E / 50.8418; 4.3845
AmbassadorMartin Shearman
WebsiteBritish Embassy, Brussels

The Embassy of the United Kingdom in Brussels (French: Ambassade des Royaume-Uni en Bruxelles; Dutch: Ambassade van de Verenigde Koninkrijk in Brussel) is the chief diplomatic mission of the United Kingdom in Belgium. The embassy also represents the British Overseas Territories in Belgium.

The embassy is located at 10, avenue d'Auderghem/Oudergemlaan and the building also hosts the UK's Mission to the EU (UKMis).[1][2] Martin Shearman has been the British Ambassador to Belgium since June 2019.[3]

History[edit]

The original British mission was located at the Hôtel de Rodes, on the corner of the Rue de Spa/Spastraat and the Rue de la Loi/Wetstraat, and served as the embassy building until it was evacuated at the outbreak of the Second World War. After the war, the embassy outgrew the building and the Ambassador's residence was moved to the Rue Ducale/Hertogsstraat. The embassy expanded into buildings on the nearby Rue Joseph II/Jozef II-straat. In the 1960s, as the pressure grew on the building, the embassy and mission to the EEC moved to a purposefully built Britannia House. In the 1970s, the UK Mission to the EEC moved out of the Britannia House to 6, Robert Schuman Roundabout. The bilateral embassy, however, resided at Britannia House until the 1990s when it moved to 85, rue d'Arlon/Aarlenstraat.[4]

Nowadays, both the bilateral embassy and the UK Mission to the EU reside at 10, avenue d'Auderghem/Oudergemlaan.[1] The UK also maintains a separate delegation to NATO based in Brussels at NATO's headquarters on the Boulevard Leopold III/Leopold III-laan.[5]

Ambassador's residence[edit]

The Rue Ducale/Hertogsstraat, the location of the British Residence

The British Ambassador's official residence, the former Hôtel de Croÿ, is located at 17, rue Ducale/Hertogsstraat. The building was built by architect Louis Sauvage around 1911–1913. It is a large and elegant terraced town house facing Brussels Park. The building was acquired by the British Government after the restoration of the embassy following the end of the Second World War. The owner was Mrs Renée de Becker-Rémy who originally leased the building to the British Ministry of Works and then sold the house and some of its furniture in 1947.[4]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "British Embassy Brussels". FCDO. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  2. ^ "UK Mission to the EU". FCDO. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  3. ^ "Martin Shearman". FCDO. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  4. ^ a b "Belgium: Brussels". Room for Diplomacy Catalogue of British embassy and consulate buildings, 1800 – 2010. 6 October 2015. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  5. ^ "UK Joint Delegation to NATO". FCDO. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
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