ST. GEORGE’S DRIVE

Coming to the market for the first time in nearly 20 years, this impressive and historic house is situated in the highly sought-after location of Pimlico, between the leafy gardens of Eccleston Square and Warwick Square. Showcasing an array of period features and high ceilings, this five storey home exudes charm and character.

The ground floor features a stunning, modern family kitchen that seamlessly flows into a formal dining room with a fireplace and beautiful ceiling cornices. A large and convenient cloakroom, utility room, and WC are also on the ground floor.

An enclosed staircase leads to the lower ground floor where there is a large and fully equipped gym, a kitchen area, home office and two extra bedrooms, one with an en-suite shower room. There is an additional useful utility area, a separate bathroom and a secluded garden/patio area. The lower ground floor has street access and could be repurposed as a separate flat for letting or staff purposes.

A mezzanine floor to the left of the main staircase features a large wood panelled study with triple aspect windows overlooking the spire of St Gabriel’s Church.

Ascending to the first floor, a gracious and well-proportioned drawing room features a stone fireplace, exceptionally high ceilings and large windows, with sliding doors leading into a more intimate library/family room and raised bar area. In addition, there are two balconies on this floor and with its enviable corner position, the house captures both morning and afternoon light.

Between the first and second floors is a set of double doors leading on to a large flat roof area which has planning permission to be turned into a garden roof terrace.

The second floor is dedicated to the principal bedroom, offering built-in wardrobes and a generously sized en-suite bathroom.

Finally, the third and fourth floors boast four double bedrooms and two additional bathrooms, ensuring ample space for family and guests.

This property truly offers a remarkable combination of period elegance, versatile living spaces, and desirable local amenities being within a short walk of Belgravia’s exclusive Elizabeth Street with its notable shops and restaurants, as well as the Pimlico Road antiques district with its bustling weekend organic market, Daylesford and oldest French restaurant in London.

Prior to its conversion into a family home, the property was the headquarters of the Royal Pioneer Corps Association. When it was purchased from the Pioneers, the outgoing veterans stated that the house had served as a onetime base for the Special Operations Executive during the Second War. The SOE was Britain’s wartime unit for clandestine operations, often called the Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, or Churchill’s Secret Army. Indeed, at the purchase of the house from the Army, the veterans mentioned that Churchill himself had been a regular visitor to the house: that he used to take the short walk from his residence in neighbouring Eccleston Square in order to write his diary in the house’s study. The veterans also affirmed that they remembered Churchill once using the house as a place to meet with Charles de Gaulle, who famously disliked SOE operations being carried out on French territory. Of course, de Gaulle led the wartime Free French movement from a base in Pimlico; and it stands to reason that he and Churchill might have ‘met in the middle’ at the property.