Benjamin Dean's first association with the Wellingtons was when he became private secretary in 1798 to Lord Wellesley in India. He later became private secretary to Arthur Wellesley (Lord Wellesley's brother) and accompanied him to Ireland in 1807. It was not until after a period of five years that Benjamin Dean was asked by the newly made Duke to find an estate and design a new house, which like Blenheim, was to be a memorial of British gratitude to a great Hero. He worked on the project for six years, producing five different sets of drawings. At the end of the day the project was never completed, Wellington was not interested in extravagance and had no interest in architecture. The nearest he got to designing a palace was the remodelling of Apsley House