Whether someone fancies living in a central London mansion or acquiring an investment building, this townhome right on Piccadilly Square is a rare find. Once the family home of English poet Lord Byron, the 18th-century structure is currently listed for £29,950,000, but could have a potential property value of £70,000,000 if converted back into a single-family residence.
Lord Byron and his wife owned the manse back in the early 1800s, with their daughter’s birth even taking place there. But, that was just the start of its notable guest list over the centuries. Multimillionaire socialite Baroness Catherine d’Erlanger lived here in the decades leading up to the start of WWII, at which point she left to live in Beverly Hills. Known for hosting parties with impressive guest lists, the mansion welcomed Winston and Clementine Churchill, the Duchess of York, William Butler Yeats and so many more. Cole Porter even set the mood on the grand piano at times.
From the end of WWII on, the expansive abode fell out of residential use and still has not been revived for that purpose. However, the sellers obtained the consent to return it to residential use should a buyer be interested. It would be an over 15,000-square-foot home in the heart of London.
Renderings of a future vision for the Grade II building are courtesy of design house Casa E Progetti. They were inspired by the work of celebrated French interior designer Stéphane Boudin, who refurbished the White House under the direction of Jackie Kennedy. The sweeping staircase hall of marble and wrought-iron railings give way to rooms of similar grandeur like the library and study. It was in this room that Lord Byron wrote his tragic verse Parsinia and his narrative poem, The Siege of Corinth.
Interested on-lookers can look to Wetherell for the listing. “The provenance of this Piccadilly mansion building overlooking Green Park is outstanding,” says founder and chairman Peter Wetherell. “Now a buyer has the opportunity to close the circle and bring this landmark building back to life.”