Property of the Week: 14 Half Moon Street is a Victorian bachelor pad turned family mansion that’s on sale for £14m
A peek inside these plush living quarters is also a glimpse into Oscar Wilde’s Mayfair, a time when bohemians and young men-about-town could afford to live in the prestigious district while they chased their fortunes.
This enormous Grade II listed house was the inspiration for Algernon Moncrieff’s bachelor pad in The Importance of Being Earnest, forever famed within the text for its “luxurious furnishings”.
Situated on Half Moon Street, the white-stuccoed house was built in the early 18th century for the Gannon family, who had the savvy idea of living on the lower ground floor and leasing the other floors out as “bachelors chambers”.
The dressing room
The street, named after the raucous Half Moon pub, was home to a dozen such sub-divided buildings, accommodating promising young tenants such as Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen.
There was a brief period of respite from the glamour when it was turned into offices after the Second World War, and it was only converted back into a single home in 2008. Spanning over 5,000sqft of space over seven floors, it’s been entirely refurbished and now houses four bedroom suites, a cinema, gym, three sitting rooms and a steam room.
The library
The 10-seater dining room opens out onto one of two outdoor terraces. Other treasures include the fitted bespoke wardrobes crafted from American black walnut, the smoked European oak parquet flooring and the marble period fireplace.
“It now oozes the glamour you would have expected to find in Wilde’s day,” says Harvey Cyzer, partner at Knight Frank’s Mayfair and St James’ offices.
Call Wetherell on 020 7529 5566 or visit wetherell.co.uk or call Knight Frank on 020 7499 1012 or visit knightfrank.co.uk.