Property of the Month: A Georgian townhouse owned by interior designer Veere Grenney
This stunning mews property is quintessential ‘Connaught Village’, possessing period charm in spades. Its interior, however, is anything but typical
Here at Luxury London, there are few things we love more than a period property in the heart of one of the city’s historical districts where, when you open the door, you discover quirky interiors and offbeat décor. There’s something about the juxtaposition that is simply irresistible.
Our latest Property of the Month is the perfect mixture of tradition and idiosyncrasy: a Georgian townhouse on Portsea Mews, just west of Marble Arch and north of Hyde Park, among the designer boutiques and artisan bakeries of Connaught Village. The home, like the area, appears classic – beautiful, but familiar in a city full of magnificent property (that said, it is rare to find a double-fronted, four-bedroom freehold in Connaught Village, which is exactly what this is).
When you enter, the singularity of this end-of-terrace property becomes clear. It was previously owned by the interior designer Veere Grenney, and you can feel a professional’s touch in the finish. Imaginative interiors comprise period qualities such as feature fireplaces, sash windows and wall panelling, combined with captivating contemporary details including bold colours and textures throughout.
A spacious hallway leads to an open-plan dining and library room, which in turn opens to a patio courtyard garden. The ground floor is also home to a kitchen fitted with smooth cabinetry and marble work tops. On the lower ground lies a cosy media room (which could be converted to a home office, gym or whatever else an owner saw fit) and two bedrooms as well as a guest cloakroom, utility room and plant room.
Ascending to the first floor, you’ll find a double reception and study area, which benefit from two exquisite sash windows that flood the space with light. The second is home to the property’s principal suite, which is rather special: it includes a bedroom, a spa-inspired bathroom, a walk-in wardrobe and its own private roof terrace with views of Marble Arch.
The surrounding area is, as mentioned, beautiful in that quintessential ‘old London’ way. Portsea Mews is a cobbled cul-de-sac opposite Connaught Square, which feels particularly quiet and residential despite being moments from Oxford Street. The boating lakes of Hyde Park are also at the top of the road.
This spot also seriously over-indexes when it comes to Grade II-listed properties, contributing to the conservation of the Church Commissioners Hyde Park Estate. Despite this, these mews homes have humble beginnings dating back to the 1800s: they started life as stables used for storing horses and their carriages. The early-20th century saw this mode of transportation rapidly decline, and mews across the capital fell into disrepair. Portsea Place remained, however, despite also being targeted during the Blitz (a bomb landed directly on nearby Kendal Street) and was later converted for a mix of commercial and residential use and granted Grade II-listed status.
A historical spot with a designer-finished interior: if this is your perfect split as it is ours, then this might be the property for you.
The guide price for the Portsea Place property is £3,650,000, andersonrose.co.uk
