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.

A landmark Watsons Bay residence formerly owned by businessman Mark Bouris has returned to the market, bringing one of the harbourside village’s most distinctive homes back into play.

The five-bedroom property at 23 Robertson Place occupies 654 square metres opposite Robertson Park, within footsteps of Watsons Bay Beach, the ferry wharf and the celebrated restaurants lining the foreshore.

Its position places the home at the centre of one of Sydney’s most recognisable harbour villages, yet its substantial proportions, private outdoor areas and garaging give it a degree of separation rarely found so close to the waterfront.

The residence was previously owned by Bouris, the founder of Wizard Home Loans and chairman of Yellow Brick Road. Property records show it last changed hands in November 2013 for $7 million, having sold for $890,000 in 1995.

That 2013 transaction was handled by prestige agent Bill Malouf through Highland Double Bay. Bouris was the vendor when the home last sold.

Architect Malcolm Sholl designed the contemporary residence around a fluid connection between its interiors and outdoor entertaining areas. Extensive glazing draws natural light into the principal rooms, while district views take in the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Travertine flooring extends through the principal living areas and out towards the terraces, reinforcing the relationship between the home and its coastal setting.

At the centre of the residence is a marble kitchen equipped with Gaggenau gas appliances and an integrated Miele coffee machine. It connects to expansive open-plan living and dining areas designed for both family life and large-scale entertaining.

Five double bedrooms are accompanied by three bathrooms and a guest powder room. Informal living spaces include a home cinema.

Outside, there’s a 23-metre lap pool and an alfresco entertainer’s terrace. Internal access from the garage and accommodation for four cars are especially valuable in the tightly held village location.

The address also carries an unusual fragment of local architectural history. Woollahra planning material identifies portions of an early Victorian cottage dating from about 1839 within the contemporary three-storey residence, placing the property within the wider Watsons Bay heritage conservation area.

The home made headlines for another reason in January 2025, when a Ferrari left the road and struck the property. Two occupants of the vehicle were taken to hospital following the incident.

The Agency’s Ben Collier has a $20 million guide.

Watsons Bay remains one of Sydney’s smallest and most tightly held prestige markets. There have only been two house sales in the suburb so far in 2026. The suburb record was set late last year when yachtie Linda Goddard paid $35.5 million for a Pacific Street waterfront.

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.