Setting the scene for famous 1920s author Dorothy L. Sayers to write her first murder mystery novel, Whose Body?, this elegant, seven-bedroom townhouse sits pretty on Pimlico’s prestigious St George’s Square.

Originally designed and built in 1843 by Grosvenor Estate and Royal architect Thomas Cubitt, fronting onto a spectacular central garden square, the gorgeous Victorian townhouse has a charming white stucco frontage. Spanning an impressive 6,559 square feet, the now turn-key home has all the authentic period bones of its time, from vast ceiling heights, intricate cornicing and voluminous windows, to grand, imposing reception rooms.

Having been recently refurbished, other standout features include a charming and welcoming entrance hall, three magnificent reception rooms, a study, a spacious kitchen and breakfast room, as well as seven fabulous en suite bedrooms.

Dorothy L. Sayers’ life in St George’s Square is recounted by author Nancy-Lou Patterson in her comprehensive book on the author’s early life, Dorothy L. Sayers’ Bloomsbury Years. She writes that in September 1920, when the 27-year-old Dorothy L. Sayers started a Masters degree at Oxford University, she rented a top-floor bed-sitting room with a kitchenette and step-out balcony in a townhouse on St George’s Square. According to Patterson, the property was barely furnished, with the bathroom located off the landing on the floor below.

Patterson writes that Sayers spent her relaxation time reading and writing in the beautiful garden that forms the famous square, as well as working on the manuscript of what would become her first crime novel, Whose Body?, published in 1923. Sayers then went on to write 11 crime novels and 21 short stories. Her much-applauded novels were later adapted into two successful BBC series

Today, the stunning home seamlessly blends old and new. The kitchen boasts stylish built-in cabinets, with marble worktops, sink, and a glass-fronted drinks fridge that doubles as a cocktail bar, while striking parquet flooring, a gorgeous skylight and modern ceiling speakers make it a great space for entertaining. The litchen also comes complete with integrated Gaggenau appliances.

Offering a rare, single family residence of the finest quality, other notable features include a stone-paved entrance hall with a cantilevered stone staircase and passenger lift on the raised ground floor, as well as a fantastic 12-seat dining room with parquet flooring, feature fireplace, elegant ceiling coving and a large bay window overlooking the central garden square.

A study, which could also be used as a TV snug or library, and a light, bright and airy family room, with three sets of French doors opening onto a spacious terrace, offer multiple flexible options for modern family living.

The double drawing room on the first floor is nothing short of spectacular and is certainly the ‘showstopper’ room of the house. Four-metre-high ceilings, refined coving, a marble fireplace, parquet flooring and two tall French windows open onto a spacious step-out balcony, offering a seating area to the front façade and a Juliet balcony to the rear.

With the principal bedroom suite occupying its own private floor on the second floor of the townhouse, the impressive room has a feature fireplace, elegant ceiling coving and a walk-in dressing room. The gorgeous marble bathroom has a sculptural freestanding bath and walk-in double shower with rainforest showerheads, while there are also four further en suites bedrooms and a top floor currently set up as a games room.

Jeremy Gee, managing director at Beauchamp Estates says: “Offering an abundance of luxurious inside and outside living space this magnificent Pimlico residence is one of just a few townhouses in St George’s Square which is still configured as a grand, single family house. The townhouses in the square are exceptionally large, so many are now converted into lateral and duplex residences.”

Vlad Viaryshka, senior sales negotiator at Beauchamp Estates says: “St George’s Square is the most sought-after address in Pimlico, with the largest garden square in the district. The address is the closest garden square to the Houses of Parliament and fronts directly onto the River Thames.”

The St George’s Square townhouse in Pimlico is listed for £10m, visit beauchamp.com

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