[title]
Fetch your quill and ink. Wannabe bards will be excited to hear that the house of a legendary poet has gone up for sale in central London. The former abode of Lord Byron has hit the market in Piccadilly, and it could be yours for £29.5 million.
The Grade II-listed townhouse where Byron wrote some of his most famous works including ‘Parsinia’ and ‘The Seige of Corinth’ is up for grabs.
The house fit for a poet spans 14,000 square feet of space and overlooks Green Park. Set over six floors, the building was most recently used as offices, but the estate agents believe it’s in an ideal position to be turned back into a grand residence with up to eight bedrooms. Agents estimate that the building could be worth up to a whopping £70 million once the refurbishment is complete – which could cost £15 million in itself. The interiors retain many of their original elements, such as mouldings and fireplaces.
Built between 1760 and 1764, the Mayfair townhouse was bought by Lord Byron in 1815. The philandering poet lived at the mansion for around a year before he fled the country after being caught up in a scandal with Augusta Leigh, his half-sister. Byron’s wife, Annabella Milbanke, famously left him by walking out of the house in full public view. We love the drama.
Peter Wetherell, founder and chairman of agents Wetherell, which is handling the sale, said: ‘The provenance of this Piccadilly mansion building overlooking Green Park is outstanding.
‘It was once the London home of poet Lord Byron and during the 1920s and 1930s was the Mayfair private palace of French heiress Baroness Catherine d'Erlanger, one of the richest women in Europe at the time.
‘Now a buyer has the opportunity to close the circle and bring this landmark building back to life.’
Find out more on the official Wetherell listing here.
Time Out and celebrity London properties
Some reckon that Byron might’ve been one of the first modern celebrities – making the above very much a celeb pad. For other celebrity properties on Time Out, check out this rock ‘n’ roll mecca from Rolling Stone Ronnie Wood, this Hampstead mansion from director Ridley Scott and the old Chelsea home of the Sex Pistols’ Johnny Rotten.
Did you see that classic Camden pub The Constitution is reopening next year?
Listen to Time Out’s brilliant podcast ‘Love Thy Neighbourhood’: the Christmas special with Paloma Faith in the East End is out now.
Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox.