An elegant 3,777 square foot five-bedroom apartment with five balconies and 124.8 square feet of external space. It is located on the fourth floor of Brookhouse in Park Lane, London. It was built by Harry Selfridge in the 1930s and 1940s before reconstruction. The founder of the Selfridges department store on Oxford Street, the London residence is now sold through the exclusive agent Wetherell.
Together with Harry Selfridge's background story, the magnificent Brook House apartment offers a wealth of horizontal living spaces and panoramic views of Hyde Park. The core of the apartment is a 44-foot double-sided reception room with coffered ceilings and marble floors, full-height glass windows overlooking Hyde Park, including two bays with floor-to-ceiling windows and decorative balconies. There is also a spacious entrance hall, guest powder room, family kitchen with separate utility room, master bedroom suite with balcony, walk-in dressing room and master bathroom, suite with balcony and ensuite bathroom, and three other bedroom suites , All with en suite bathroom.
The original Brook House apartment building was built by George Fee, the developer of the Gee, Walker & Slater construction company, from 1933 to 1935. It was designed by the architectural firms Wimperis, Simpson & Guthrie and advised by Edwin Lutyens. The owners cooperated with Edwina Mountbatten, wife of Lord Mountbatten, uncle of the Queen of England. The lot at 113 Park Lane was originally a magnificent mansion, also known as the Brook House, owned by the financier and grandfather Sir Ernest Cassell of Edwina Mountbatten.
Edwina Mountbatten inherited the financial mind of her grandfather. She did not want to live in the outdated mansion that she collaborated with developer George Fee. In return, she received a share of sales from each new Brook House apartment, as well as ownership of the huge duplex penthouse on top of Brook House, whose interior was decorated from 1935 to Tailor-made for Edwina in 1937.
The participation of the charming Mounbattens in the Brookhouse Apartments has made the building one of the most sought after addresses on Park Lane. In 1936, one of the first residents was Harry Selfridge, the founder of Oxford Street department store Selfridges. He moved into a large apartment on the fourth floor to live near the shop.
Harry Gordon Selfridge (1858-1947) is an American retail giant who founded and built the world-renowned Selfridge department store on Oxford Street in 1908-1909. When he first opened Selfridges, Harry Selfridge lived in a magnificent Manhattan-style horizontal house at 9 Fitzmaurice Place in Mayfair, just off Berkeley Square, enjoying a luxurious lifestyle, owning a private yacht SY Conqueror and a rented country estate Highcliff Castle, in Hampshire.
However, during the Great Depression from 1929 to 1936, Harry Selfridge's personal wealth declined rapidly, so in 1936 he left 9 Fitzmaurice Place and moved into the fourth floor apartment of Brook House. Here, he entertained his official mistress, charming Syrie Maugham and his secret lover dancer Rosie Dolly from time to time. Selfridge remained at Brookhouse until the end of 1945 when he moved to the Ross Court in Putney Heath to live with his daughter Rosalie, where he died on May 8, 1947, at the age of 89 years old.
In 1993, the original Brook House apartment building was demolished and replaced by the existing building from 1997 to 1998. The building was designed by the architectural firm Michael Squire & Partners, the TH Wyatt of our time. The modern building provides basement parking. There are a total of 15 apartments on the ground floor, residential foyer and concierge/concierge, passenger elevator and the building, of which there are 12 apartments on the 2nd to 5th floors and 1 penthouse on each floor on the 6th to 8th floors.
Although the current fourth-floor apartment is modern in style, different from the original 1930s apartment layout and specifications, you can still feel the tree-lined view of Hyde Park, the hustle and bustle of the park below, and the exquisite style and Luxury In the 1930s and 1940s, Harry Selfridge would have fun in his original apartment.
The main reception room has white marble floors and multiple seating areas. It is an ideal place to relax or entertain. You can imagine Harry Selfridge gazing at Hyde Park, giving orders to his Selfridges cosmetics director Kitty Hawkins, or making a pre-dinner cocktail for his mistress, Syrie Maugham.
The spacious family kitchen has a central island, a breakfast/dining area and a separate utility room. Here, you can imagine Harry Selfridge's chef rustling food from Selfridge's famous food hall to prepare dinner, and the table is dressed up by Harry Selfridge's famous fashion and store display supervisor, Miss Lavelius.
There are five double bedrooms, all with custom built-in wardrobes and ensuite bathrooms. Both the master suite and the master suite have balconies, and the master suite (used by Harry Selfridge) has a walk-in dressing room, perfect for fashion lovers like Harry Selfridge.
The apartment is equipped with a 24-hour concierge service, an additional storage room and two secure underground parking spaces. Brook House is located in Park Lane, arguably the most famous address in London, close to the boutiques and restaurants of Hyde Park and Mayfair Village, with Mount Street as the center, and access to Marble Arch and Bond Street subway stations.