Royal Horseguards Hotel Royal Horseguards Hotel The Royal Horseguards Hotel is a 5-star London hotel situated in the area of Whitehall. It is operated by Guoman Hotels, a subsidiary of Thistle Hotels. Whitehall Court was constructed as a block of luxury residential apartments in 1884 by the Liberal MP and property developer Jabez Balfour. The building's construction was the centrepiece of an elaborate pyramid scheme for fraud by Balfour, through the Liberator Building Society which he controlled. In 1892 the Society collapsed, leaving thousands of investors penniless. Instead of advancing money to home buyers, the Society had advanced money to property companies to
James Ellis (British politician) James Ellis (British politician) James Ellis (2 October 1829 – 1901) was a British Liberal Party politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1885 to 1892. Ellis was born in Glenfield, Leicestershire, the son of Joseph Ellis and his wife Hannah Shipley, daughter of John Shipley. He was educated at the schools of the Society of Friends (Quakers). He was a merchant and owner of granite quarries. He was chairman of Leicester School Board. By 1881 Ellis had been elected as Chairman of South Leicestershire Liberal Association He was Liberal candidate for Bosworth at the 1885 general election