An impressive Grade II Listed 4,768 sq.ft. (443 sq.m.) five bedroom townhouse with roof terrace garden on Ovington Square in London’s Knightsbridge has a grand salon inspired by the Palace of Versailles and has hosted British, Belgium and Russian Royalty, aristocrats, artists and movie industry visitors: for sale via joint sole selling agents Beauchamp Estates and Knight Frank.
Over the years the townhouse has hosted many prominent people including King Leopold I of Belgium, Grand Duchess Olga Romanov, Bertrand Russell, Picasso, Richard Rodgers and David, Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VIII, alongside figures from the movie industry when the house was owned by Oscar-winning film producer Norma Heyman, and home to her son the film producer David Heyman, the producer of the Harry Potter films and prequel Fantastic Beasts.
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 terrace garden extending from the principal first floor reception room.
The townhouse provides substantial accommodation over lower ground, raised ground and three upper floors with the elegant interiors offering classical proportions and impressive presence with retained period details including beautiful wood panelled walls to principal rooms, coving, pilasters, ornate doors with architraves and Regency fireplaces.
On the lower ground floor the townhouse has a fully fitted family kitchen, ensuite bedroom, staff office/staff bedroom and extensive storage units/vaults. The ground floor comprises the pillared entrance hall, reception room with French doors onto an outside patio and steps down to the grand salon, the salon forming interlinked living and dining rooms.
There are two reception rooms on the first floor, one with the Oriel bay window and the other a grand library room with built in shelving and joinery. The second floor features the large 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 to 1891, under two consecutive owners, the townhouse served as a Royal sculpture studio, with sculptures of Royalty and aristocrats carved and crafted on the ground floor (now the grand salon) and completed artworks displayed in the first floor reception rooms.
Between 1850 to 1878 the first owners of the townhouse were acclaimed 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 Ovington Square townhouse and sittings with the Queen conducted in Windsor castle.
HRH Prince Albert, the Prince Consort, is reported to have overseen the progress of the Royal statue which was completed in 1861 and installed in 1863 in Pearson Park, Kingston-upon-Hull. Earle also used his ground floor studio in Ovington Square to create a bust of Queen Victoria (now at Buckingham Palace), a statue of King Edward I (now in Hull Town Hall) and a bust of the Duke of Wellington.
Between 1878 to 1891 the second owner of the townhouse was French sculptress Charlotte Vital Dubray who also used the ground floor as her sculpture studio. Dubray maintained a good relationship with the British Royal family, producing in 1875-1876 a portrait bust of Princess Louise, the daughter of Bertie, Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII), and hosting in 1879 Queen Victoria’s favourite uncle King Leopold I, King of the Belgians, who visited the Ovington Square townhouse and toured the ground floor studio and the artwork in the first floor 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 Ovington Square townhouse between 1877 to 1880 as a “safe house” where he could meet his mistress Lillie Langtry under the guise of both touring the studio and viewing artworks. The studio (now the grand salon) even has a “secret door” which allowed Langtry to gain discreet access to the property from the mews to the rear of the house.
From 1973 onwards some media publicity for the townhouse has alleged that it was owned by Lille Langtry, with the interiors of the salon and panelled bedrooms a gift from the Prince of Wales to Langtry, but this is not accurate – the “safe house” story taken too far – despite the juicy tale adding to the colourful history and fame of the property.
After Dubray, between 1911 to 1913 the next prominent owner of the townhouse was Thomas Hwfa-Williams, the founder and General Manager of the Sandown Park racecourse in Surrey. Hwfa-Williams and his socialite wife, Florence, hosted many prominent dinner parties at the Ovington Square townhouse with guests including Royal racing fans Grand Duchess Olga Romanov (sister of Czar Nicholas II), Prince Christopher of Greece (Uncle of Philip, Duke of Edinburgh), Prince Felix Yusupov (married into the Romanov family, Felix organized in the assassination of Grigori Rasputin) and Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova.
From 1914 to 1919 Violet Gordon Woodhouse, the harpsichordist and pianist lived in the house and would hold music recitals on Sunday afternoons. Her friends included many of the leading artists and writers of her day including Siegfried Sassoon, Bertrand Russell, Pablo Picasso, George Bernard Shaw, Aldous Huxley and TS Eliot.
Between 1927 and 1930 the d’Erlanger banking family owned the house and hosted the then Prince of Wales (the future King Edward VIII) to hear American composer Richard Rodgers play the piano.
Following World War Two between 1944/45 to 1973 the townhouse in Ovington Square was owned by the Longmire family. A contemporary of Oliver Messel, George Longmire was the owner of George Longmire Ltd, a leading interior design and antiques firm based in Knightsbridge, and up until 1976 his son Paul worked for him before Paul left and founded in 1979 the Longmire jewellery firm.
Between 1945 to circa 1955 George and Paul lavishly refurbished the townhouse. The two interconnecting reception rooms (living room and dining room) on the ground floor were transforming into a Parisian style grand salon, with key features reminiscent of the Palace of Versailles.
The beautiful carved wood Boiserie wall panels in the salon originate from a French Chateau and include a series of hand-painted gallants (painted panels) depicting social gatherings (Fêtes Galantes) in the gardens and groves of Loire Valley chateau, the painted panels recalling those in the Palace of Versailles. The salon has a magnificent hand-painted Tromp-I’oeil ceiling depicting sky and clouds (in the style of Charles Le Brun) whilst the herringbone wood floor design is in the Parquet de Versailles style.
On the first floor the grand library room was created with built in shelving and bespoke joinery, wall panelling with feature pilasters and elegant ceiling coving. On the floors above various bedrooms were fitted out with Boiserie wall panels, continuing the style of the salon.
From 1989 to 2008 the property was most recently owned by Oscar-winning British and Hollywood film producer Norma Heyman, and home to her two children who include the film producer David Heyman, the producer of the Harry Potter films and its prequel series, Fantastic Beasts.
Norma Heyman is the producer of a series of highly acclaimed films including The Honorary Consul (1983) starring Michael Caine and Richard Gere; Buster (1988) starring Phil Collins; Dangerous Liaisons (1988) starring Glenn Close, John Malkovich and Michelle Pfeiffer and Mrs Henderson Presents (2005) starring Dame Judi Dench and Bob Hoskins. During the almost 20 years the Heyman family owned the townhouse it hosted famous names from the movie industry.
Now the Ovington Square townhouse has been listed for sale and provides a discerning buyer with a unique opportunity to acquire a house with an illustrious history and an abundance of grand and bright living space across six floors, an outstanding residence for both entertaining and relaxation.
Paul Westwood, Associate at Knight Frank (Knightsbridge) says: “This magnificent Knightsbridge townhouse is perfect for entertaining with spacious reception rooms on both the ground and first floor. The truly unique and impressive grand salon has hosted many prominent people over the years including King Leopold I of Belgium, Grand Duchess Olga Romanov, Bertrand Russell, Picasso, Richard Rodgers and David, Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VIII, and figures from the movie industry. Perfect for family events, music recitals, cocktail receptions and grand dinner parties, the townhouse has the potential to be one of the finest residences in Knightsbridge.”
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 ($11.18 million US dollars) contact joint sole selling agents Beauchamp Estates (Kay Louise Smith) on Tel: +44 (0)20 7499 7722 E: [email protected] or visit: www.beauchampestates.com and Knight Frank (Paul Westwood) on Tel: +44 (0)20 3371 3143 E: [email protected] or visit: www.knightfrank.co.uk
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