An elegant six bedroom 7,511 sqft (697.87 sqm) Grade II Listed townhouse with integrated mews house on Charles Steet in Mayfair, which was originally the London home of British Foreign Secretary James Harris (1807-1889), 3rd Earl of Malmesbury, where he entertained exiled French Emperor Napoleon III, is for sale via Beauchamp Estates.
With an illustrious history and visitors including Royalty, two Prime Ministers and aristocrats, the grand five story Georgian townhouse was originally built in 1753 and is now offered for sale, it has a cream stucco façade, three windows wide, with a cantilevered bay window to the full width of the first floor.
The townhouse has the benefit of a passenger lift to all floors, double garage in the mews, terraces on the first and fifth floors and a second-floor step-out balcony.
It offers substantial accommodation over lower ground, ground and five upper floors.
There is an entrance hall, dining room, sitting room and gym/exercise room with adjoining WC on the ground floor, main double reception room on the first floor, the principal bedroom suite, occupying the entire second floor, with main bedroom with balcony, walk-in dressing room and bathroom. There are four further bedrooms (all ensuite) on the third and fourth floors, with a study/lounge opening onto a terrace on the top (fifth) floor.
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The lower ground floor runs under the main house and mews and features a family kitchen with separate utility room, breakfast room, family/games room and WC. The mews house contains a double garage, sitting room and ensuite bedroom suite.
The Peerage Records indicate that the Charles Street townhouse came into the ownership of the Earls of Malmesbury when it was acquired in 1820 for the Dowager Duchess of Malmesbury, widow of the first Earl, the Duchess moving from a house on nearby Hill Street.
The 2nd Earl of Malmesbury resided almost exclusively at Hurn Court, the family’s country house in Dorset, so when the Dowager Duchess died in 1830 the Charles Street townhouse became the London home of his son, James Harris.
Between his graduation from Oxford University in 1828 and his return to London in 1830 James toured France and in Paris became friends with Prince Louis Napoléon Bonaparte (1808-1873), the nephew and heir of Napoleon Bonaparte, Prince Louis would become French Emperor and rule France between 1848 to 1870.
In 1841 James became the 3rd Earl of Malmesbury and was elected to the House of Commons as Conservative MP for Wilton. Prince Louis Napoléon Bonaparte stayed in London in exile between 1838 to 1840, living at the Brunswick Hotel in Mayfair, and again in 1846 to 1848, living at a house on King Street in St James’s. During these periods in exile in London the French Prince was entertained by James Harris at his house on Charles Street.
Other guests at Charles Street during the 1840s and 1850s included Prime Minister Edward Smith-Stanley, Benjamin Disraeli (later Prime Minister) and Charles Dickens, the author and editor of the newspaper the Daily News. All three men were supporters of Prince Louis Napoléon Bonaparte.
In 1852 James became the British Foreign Secretary and Member of the Privy Council under Prime Minister Edward Smith-Stanley and this led to the Charles Street townhouse being substantially refurbished with the large bay window added and grand fireplaces installed in the dining room, main reception room and principal bedroom.
James used his position as Foreign Secretary to help lead the British acquiescence in his friend Prince Louis Napoléon’s decision (since 1848 Prince-President, ruler of France) to restore the French Empire in 1852 and name himself Emperor Napoleon III. James also helped to organise the highly successful state visits of the French Emperor to London in April 1855 and Queen Victoria’s state visit to France in August 1855, the first time a British monarch had visited Paris in over 400 years. It underlined the close personal friendship between Queen Victoria and her ministers and Napoleon III.
James met Napoleon III in the Spring of 1870, just a few months before Napoleon’s fall from power, when he visited Paris. James found him to be “terribly changed and very ill”. On the 4th September 1870, after a series of military defeats, France became a Republic and in March 1871 Napoleon III arrived in England where he lived for the rest of his days in exile at Camden Place, a country house in Kent, where he was visited by both James and Queen Victoria.
In 1876 when James’ wife, Lady Corisande, the niece of the French Foreign Minister, died unexpectedly, he sold their Charles Street house and moved to a property in Cavendish Square in Marylebone.
Now the Mayfair townhouse that played a key role in fostering Anglo-French relations during the Victorian era is for sale. The ground floor dining room has a marble fireplace and windows overlooking Charles Street. The main first floor reception which has hosted Napoleon III, Benjamin Disraeli and Charles Dickens has a generous ceiling height, full height windows to the large bay, a grand fireplace and parquet flooring.
The principal bedroom suite, once used by the Earl of Malmesbury, is bright and airy, with an ornate fireplace and French windows opening onto a step-out balcony. The walk-in dressing room is lined with built-in wardrobes and the main bathroom has slab marble flooring, a marble and Oak clad oval bathtub, twin marble washbasins and Oak built in vanity units.
The top floor study/lounge opens onto a spacious rooftop terrace which provides ample space for loungers and a table/chairs for al fresco entertaining. The family kitchen on the lower ground floor has a central kitchen island, built in units and cupboards with a comprehensive range of integrated appliances.
Jeremy Gee, Managing Director of Beauchamp Estates says: “This magnificent Mayfair townhouse has entertained French Royalty, Prime Ministers and famous authors. Originally the London home of the British Foreign Secretary during the Victorian era the spacious family home offers excellent entertaining space including the large first floor double reception room. It provides the perfect family home for someone wanting a London base situated in the heart of Mayfair.”
Paul Finch, Director and Head of New Homes at Beauchamp Estates says: “Charles Street is one of Mayfair’s premier addresses which runs west from Berkeley Square and the house has the advantage of being situated at the quieter, western end of the street which offers easy access to Mount Street, the local high street. The house is well‑located for Mayfair’s internationally renowned shops, designer boutiques, hotels, restaurants, and private members’ clubs. Hyde Park and Green Park are both nearby.”
The house on Charles Street is for sale priced at £14,950,000 (freehold). For further sales and viewing information contact Beauchamp Estates Tel: +44 (0)20 7499 7722 or visit www.beauchamp.com
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