The Ambassador’s Residence on La Marsa Road initially belonged to the Ben Ayyad family but was acquired by Richard Wood, after he came to Tunis as Her Majesty’s Consul General in 1856. To the original Palais Ben Ayyad, Richard Wood, who served for 23 years in Tunisia, added a State wing built at the Bey’s expense and to his own personal design. The estate covers some 25 acres, two-thirds of which form part of the original plot. In 1929, the Tunisian government formally agreed that the house and land should remain at the disposal of Britain’s representative, provided that the style and character of the property were preserved.