An Ovington Square Townhouse That has Hosted Royalty is For Sale

An impressive Grade II Listed 4,768 sq.ft. five bedroom townhouse with roof terrace garden on Ovington Square in London’s Knightsbridge and has hosted British, Belgium and Russian Royalty, aristocrats, artists and movie industry visitors, is for sale.

Originally built in 1849–1850, designed by architect William Wilmer Pocock and builder Samuel Archbutt Jr, under the auspices of Elizabeth, Baroness von Zandt, the white stucco townhouse has an oriel window, added in 1891, and to the rear facade a private roof terrace garden extending from the principal first floor reception room.

The townhouse provides substantial accommodation over lower ground, raised ground and four upper floors, with interiors offering classical proportions and retained period details including wood panelled walls to principal rooms, coving, pilasters, ornate doors with architraves and Regency fireplaces.

On the lower ground floor there is a fully fitted family kitchen, ensuite bedroom with French doors opening onto a patio, staff office or staff bedroom and extensive storage units or vaults. The ground floor comprises the entrance hall, reception foyer and grand salon, forming interlinked living and dining rooms. On the first floor there are two reception rooms, one with the oriel bay window and the other with two sets of French doors opening onto the roof terrace garden.

The second floor has a library room with built in shelving and joinery, study or home office and bathroom. The third floor features the principal bedroom suite with walk-in dressing room and ensuite and a further bedroom. On the top floor are two further bedrooms and a family bathroom.

Between 1850 and 1891, under two consecutive owners, the townhouse served as a Royal sculpture studio, with sculptures of Royalty and aristocrats carved on the ground floor and artworks displayed in the first floor reception rooms.

Between 1850 and 1878 the first owners were Royal sculptor Thomas Earle and his wife Mary. Thomas, awarded in 1839 a Gold Medal in Sculpture by the Royal Academy of Arts, was commissioned in 1860 to create a marble statue of Queen Victoria, with the statue carved in the townhouse and sittings with the Queen conducted in Windsor Castle.

HRH Prince Albert, the Prince Consort, is reported to have visited the townhouse to oversee the progress of the statue, completed in 1861 and installed in 1863 in Pearson Park, Kingston-upon-Hull. Earle also created a bust of Queen Victoria, a statue of King Edward I and a bust of the Duke of Wellington in the ground floor studio.

Between 1878 and 1891 the second owner was French sculptress Charlotte Vital Dubray, who also used the ground floor as her studio. Dubray maintained a relationship with the British Royal family, producing in 1875–1876 a portrait bust of Princess Louise and hosting in 1879 King Leopold I, King of the Belgians, who visited the townhouse and toured the studio and reception rooms.

The relationship between Dubray and the British Royal family has led commentators to believe that Dubray allowed Bertie, Prince of Wales, to use the townhouse between 1877 and 1880 as a “safe house” to meet Lillie Langtry.

From 1973 onwards some media publicity has alleged that the townhouse was owned by Lillie Langtry, with interiors of the salon and panelled bedroom a gift from the Prince of Wales, but this is not accurate.

After Dubray, between 1911 and 1913 the next owner was Thomas Hwfa-Williams, founder and General Manager of Sandown Park racecourse in Surrey. He hosted dinner parties with guests including Grand Duchess Olga Romanov, Prince Christopher of Greece and Prince Felix Yusupov.

From 1914 to 1919 Violet Gordon Woodhouse lived in the house and held music recitals. Her friends included Siegfried Sassoon, Bertrand Russell, Picasso and George Bernard Shaw.

Following World War Two, between 1944 or 1945 and 1973, the townhouse was owned by the Longmire family. George Longmire was the owner of George Longmire Ltd, an interior design and antiques firm in Knightsbridge, and his son Paul later founded the Longmire jewellery firm.

Between 1945 and circa 1955 George and Paul refurbished the townhouse. The two interconnecting reception rooms on the ground floor were transformed into a Parisian style grand salon, with features reminiscent of the Palace of Versailles.

The carved wood Boiserie wall panels in the salon originate from a French chateau and include hand-painted panels depicting social gatherings in the gardens and groves of Loire Valley chateau. The salon has a hand-painted Trompe-l’oeil ceiling depicting sky and clouds, whilst the herringbone wood floor is in the Parquet de Versailles style.

On the second floor the library room was created with built in shelving, joinery, wall panelling, pilasters and ceiling coving. On the third floor one of the bedrooms was fitted with Boiserie wall panels, continuing the style of the salon.

From 1989 to 2008 the property was owned by film producer Norma Heyman and was home to her children including film producer David Heyman. During this period the townhouse hosted figures from the movie industry.

Now the Ovington Square townhouse is listed for sale, offering an opportunity to acquire a house with a history and living space across six floors.

Jeremy Gee, Managing Director of Beauchamp Estates says: “Located in the heart of Knightsbridge this grand townhouse retains a rich sense of history and character with remarkable architectural detailing in principal rooms. Ovington Square is one of the most sought-after garden squares in Knightsbridge, ideally positioned between Brompton Road and Walton Street. The townhouse is just a short walk from the world-class amenities of Knightsbridge including Harrods department store, the fashion boutiques of Sloane Street and an array of renowned restaurants and chic cafes. Excellent transport links are available from nearby Knightsbridge and South Kensington Underground stations, providing easy access across London.”

The townhouse on Ovington Square is for sale for £8,250,000 contact joint sole selling agents Beauchamp Estates (Kay Louise Smith) on Tel: +44 (0)20 7499 7722 E: londonsales@beauchampestates.com or visit: www.beauchampestates.com and Knight Frank (Paul Westwood) on Tel: +44 (0)20 3371 3143 E: paul.westwood@knightfrank.com or visit: www.knightfrank.co.uk