A London Duplex With Ties to Early 20th-Century Royalty Comes with a Secret Garden

A duplex unit with access to a secret garden in the heart of London’s Mayfair neighborhood is now available for £8.25 million (US$10.67 million).

Like most homes in Mayfair, this one has a long and royal history punctuated by war. The three-story unit is located on Park Avenue on the ground-level of a grand Edwardian mansion that was once the home of the wealthy Earls of Lindsay.

One of several units in the brick rowhouse, it spans 3,394 square feet and features three en-suite bedrooms, 10-foot ceilings, a guest cloakroom beside the reception hall and French doors that lead to the private Green Street Gardens.

The “secret” gardens are the highlight of the property, said Peter Wetherell of the brokerage Wetherell, which is representing the seller, who could not be identified.

“If you just walk the streets of Mayfair you’d never know that the garden exists,” he said.

The residence is part of a nearly rectangular complex of townhouses that borders the interior Green Street Gardens, which are therefore largely undetectable from the outside. The gardens are accessible to about 30 homeowners, according to Wetherwell.

Located just a block away from Hyde Park, the site originally held a 1778 Georgian building, which was demolished during a rebuilding of the Grosvenor Estate in the late 19th century, according to information from Wetherwell. The current Edwardian mansion was on track to be built in 1913, but the interruption of World War I delayed its completion until 1925.

In the 1930s, it was purchased by Scottish nobleman Reginald Lindesay-Bethune, the 12th Earl of Lindsay, who was known to host cocktail parties for his prestigious neighbors.

The Earl died just before the beginning of World War II, at which point the home was shuttered.

Afterward the whole complex was converted to office space under a temporary provision that expired in 1990—at which point it was returned to its original residential use.

The gardens have their own backstory. They were designed by Grosvenor Estate architect Edmund Wimperis prior to World War I on the grounds that had once been the Royal Stables. The garden was meant to enhance the value of the properties that bordered it, which has apparently worked.

One of the neighboring properties, which was once the Cypriot embassy, sold for £25 million (US$32.5 million) last year. That home spans 8,435 square feet and also has access to the secret garden.

Australia’s housing debate is often dominated by affordability and supply, but a new collaboration between Brickworks and acclaimed architecture firm Kennedy Nolan argues the conversation should also focus on the quality and longevity of the homes being built.

The project, titled Our Next Neighbourhood, examines how suburban housing could evolve in response to shrinking block sizes, rising energy costs, increasing density and changing family structures.

Rather than proposing luxury dream homes, the initiative focuses on what its creators describe as achievable suburban housing models that are more flexible, sustainable, and better suited to modern Australian life.

Brickworks commissioned Kennedy Nolan to investigate what suburban housing might look like if “design, long-term liveability and enduring materials were placed at the centre of the conversation”.

The result is two housing concepts, known as the Street Terrace and Canopy Terrace, which explore higher-density living while maintaining access to green space, natural light and privacy.

The designs incorporate adaptable floorplans that can evolve as family needs change, along with passive design principles intended to reduce reliance on mechanical heating and cooling.

Brett Ward, General Manager of Marketing at Brickworks, said the company wanted to broaden the discussion around housing beyond simply increasing supply.

“Much of the housing conversation today is understandably focused on supply and affordability, but there is an equally important discussion to be had about the quality and longevity of the homes we build,” he said.

“We wanted to explore how thoughtful design, combined with durable, resilient materials, could create homes that not only function well today, but continue to support Australian families and communities long into the future.”

Kennedy Nolan said the project was partly inspired by concerns that contemporary housing often struggles to adapt to changing household structures and environmental pressures.

The architects said innovation in suburban housing was “essential” to address changing family groupings, energy use, urban heat island effects and growing disconnection from place.

According to the design team, the concepts draw on lessons from some of Australia’s most influential housing projects while seeking to create neighbourhoods with stronger links to landscape, community and local identity.

Rachel Nolan, founder of Kennedy Nolan, said the practice saw an opportunity to reimagine suburban housing as something “more connected to our climate, our landscape, our communities and our Australian identity”.

The project comes as policymakers, developers and planners continue searching for ways to deliver more housing without sacrificing liveability, neighbourhood character or long-term sustainability.

A London Duplex With Ties to Early 20th-Century Royalty Comes with a Secret Garden

The Mayfair home, listed for £8.25 million, once belonged to the Earls of Lindsay.

Brickworks has enlisted acclaimed architecture studio Kennedy Nolan to explore how homes could become more adaptable, energy-efficient and connected to community.