Harrods Estates has announced the sale of a towering, seven-floor townhouse on Wilton Place – one of tallest original homes on the market in Belgravia and priced £14 million ($17.46 million).

This majestic property is a rarity in the area having stayed true to its late-Georgian residential roots. The five-bedroom family home has stood proudly over the last 200 years as many other former townhouses in the exclusive enclave have been converted into embassies, offices, hotels and lateral apartments.


A TRUE TROPHY ADDRESS 

Situated at what is considered to be "the best" end of Wilton Place, this prestigious family home counts the fabulous, newly-refurbished Berkeley Hotel as a neighbour and has a view of the pretty St Paul’s Church.

This leafy stretch of the 200-acre Belgravia estate (Wilton Crescent and Wilton Place bordering on Knightsbridge) was built in the 1820s prompted by the rebuilding of Buckingham Palace and the housing boom that followed the end of the Napoleonic Wars.

Robert Grosvenor initiated the development of Belgravia, but Wilton Place was named after the aristocratic Wilton family. The first Marquess of Westminster married into the Wilton family in 1794, when he married Lady Eleanor Edgington. Lady Eleanor was the daughter of the first Earl of Wilton.

Believed to have been built in 1825, when the rest of Wilton Place was designed and constructed to connect Belgravia and Knightsbridge, the façade represents the most beautiful residential architecture of this much-loved period (1714-1830).

Most of the homes on Wilton Place were built over five floors with a semi basement, making this seven-level property even more special. In fact, there are only a handful of townhouses of such height in Belgravia on the market today.

Shaun Drummond, Sales Director of Harrods Estates, Knightsbridge said: “The trend of converting townhouses into apartments, embassies, offices or hotels is finally reversing with many of Belgravia’s grand townhouses being redeveloped back into single family homes. However, this can mean that these grand examples of Georgian architecture have lost their ornate original features along the way.”

“Wilton Place is a truly unique home that is filled with features that would struggle to be replicated today. It is a picture-postcard property, and I know it will prove extremely popular with buyers who are seeking a quintessentially English home, complete with wisteria.”


GEORGIAN GRANDEUR INSIDE AND OUT

The grand, sandy-coloured brick façade showcases a host of Georgian giveaways from the black wrought iron railings and formal front door, to the elegant sash windows which overlook the prestigious Wilton Crescent. The property is topped with white balustrades in front of the seventh floor attic windows, and a chimney stack.

While the heritage exterior remains immaculately intact, and a symbol of regal London gone by, the interior has undergone extensive and meticulous refurbishment.

Covering 4,243 sq ft, standout features include a first floor drawing room which opens to a charming west-facing terrace with dark wooden decking and white linen furniture. Despite its central London address, the peaceful retreat is surrounded by greenery lovingly planted by the current owners to create a sense of privacy. 

The vast open-plan kitchen, with light wooden flooring and marble work surfaces, links to the living area, in which the family can congregate over food and games. In turn this room has access onto a delightful patio on the lower ground floor with marble pillars, trompe l'oeil murals and a stone Budha water feature.

Each bedroom, complete with bathroom suite, has its own level, bar one. The master suite is situated on the second floor and the final bedroom is tucked away on the lower ground floor, behind the kitchen and family area.

The owners have steered clear of the often-identikit contemporary London look and paid homage to the property's traditional roots. Crystal chandeliers hang from gold-embossed roses in the centre of corniced ceilings and the rooms are finished with luxuriously heavy curtains and highly decorative pelmets.                                                                             

The property benefits from air-conditioning and underfloor heating throughout, has planning approved for a passenger lift (subject to approval from the Grosvenor Estate) and is one of the few freehold properties available in the area.


HOME TO THE RICH AND FAMOUS

With its elegant stucco terraces and lush garden squares, Belgravia is a central London address that has attracted rich and famous residents since the area was developed in the 1820s. Sir James Macdonnel, who played a crucial role in the Battle of Waterloo (1857), lived at number 15 Wilton Place and George Bentham, a botanist (1884), lived at number 25. 

Other celebrity residents have included Britain's former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, ex Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho and 1990s England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson.

The estate’s most central shopping streets are Elizabeth Street in the south and Motcomb Street and West Halkin Street in the north. In addition to the galleries, boutiques, salons and estate agents, there is now a Waitrose. Victoria over-ground and underground station is a short walk south, with access to the Circle, District and Victoria lines.