A slice of literary Mayfair is up for sale, with the former bachelor lodgings that inspired Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest coming to the open market for £14 million.
Number 14 Half Moon Street, a Grade II-listed townhouse in the heart of Mayfair, was one of the Victorian-era “bachelor chambers” frequented by Wilde and his bohemian circle in the 1880s.
The six-storey white-stucco house, built in the 1730s, is being sold for the first time in a decade, offering just over 5,000 sq ft of lavishly refurbished accommodation, including four reception rooms, four to five bedrooms, a cinema room, steam room and two private terraces.
Half Moon Street was once a far more colourful address than its present-day polish suggests.
CONFIRMED BACHELORS
In Wilde’s time it was lined with lodging houses for “confirmed bachelors”, artists and actors, and it was here – next door to the racy Flemings tavern – that many of London’s theatrical and literary figures lived and socialised.
Among those who stayed at number 14 were the poet Siegfried Sassoon, novelist Hugh Walpole, actor and costumier Reggie de Veulle and Robbie Ross, Wilde’s close friend and literary executor.
Wilde himself was a regular visitor, dividing his time between Half Moon Street, the Café Royal on Regent Street, and the Albemarle Club around the corner.
It was this heady mix of fashionable bachelor life, discreet lodgings and social intrigue that fed directly into The Importance of Being Earnest, whose opening act is set in Algernon Moncrieff’s luxuriously furnished chambers on Half Moon Street.
FULLY RESTORED
Today, the house has been fully restored as a single-family home, complete with passenger lift, bespoke interiors and grand entertaining spaces.
Pic credit: Beachamp Estates / Alex Winship
A Carrara marble entrance hall leads to a sleek family kitchen, while the first-floor drawing room and dining suite open onto a terrace overlooking the street – a setting still worthy of Lady Bracknell’s most withering scrutiny.
Pic credit: Beachamp Estates / Alex Winship
TURN-KEY RESIDENCE
Jeremy Gee, Managing Director of Beauchamp Estates, says: “The bachelor chambers and colourful Victorian-era tenants of 14 Half Moon Street helped inspire Oscar Wilde to write the setting and storylines for his acclaimed play ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’.
“In the luxurious rooms of this magnificent historic yet fully modernised Mayfair townhouse Wilde’s play comes to life and you can imagine Algernon Moncrieff, Jack, Gwendolen and Lady Bracknell being quiet at home.
“With its links to Oscar Wilde and ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ this is one of the most famous townhouses in Mayfair.”
Vlad Viaryshkaka, Senior Sales Negotiator at Beauchamp Estates, adds: “This immaculately presented turn-key residence combines contemporary design with period features.
“The townhouse offers the ideal combination of spacious entertaining areas, leisure facilities and outside living space. Located close to Green Park at the end of the street this townhouse is located in one of the most distinguished addresses in Mayfair.
“It is just a short walk to Bond Street and Mount Street, the local highstreet, and is perfectly located to offer the very best of Mayfair living and easy access to the shops and restaurants of Knightsbridge.”
