Named "Chudleigh" for his home town in Devon, England, the successful tanner and leather merchant George Lissant Beardmore built this Second Empire mansion in 1872. It was the first of many grand homes along a then-nascent Beverley Street that had only recently been parcelled off from the Boulton Estate, for which the Georgian Grange manor house served as the family seat from 1817. George Wathen Beardmore, G. L. Beardmore's son, later built additions to Chudleigh in 1890, 1900, and 1901, all designed by Eden Smith. 

Chudleigh became Toronto's Italian consulate in 1930, but was seized by the Government of Canada in 1939 at the outbreak of World War II and became a Royal Canadian Mounted Police barracks. In 1962, the building was returned to the Italian Government and served as the Centro Organizzativo Scuole Tecniche Italiane (COSTI), a centre that helped Italian immigrants integrate into Toronto society. The city's Italian consulate returned to Chudleigh in 1979 after extensively restoring the century home. 

As of February 2018, the Consolato Generale d’Italia Toronto was seeking development proposals for the southern half of the Chudleigh lot, which sits along Dundas Street West. In their "offering" document, the consulate states that any proposals must:

1. Renovate and restore the existing Consulate premises ensuring the preservation of its heritage features and
the permanence of the Italian Consulate on the site.

2. Relocate the Italian Consulate temporarily during such renovations to ensure continuance of consular services.

3. Create new space to promote Italy and the Italian-Canadian heritage and identity.

4. Respect the existing character and aesthetic of the neighbourhood.

5. Provide a future community cultural heritage fund for the benefit of the Italian-Canadian community in Toronto.

• Architect - Eden Smith  <-- More buildings by this architect.