London Mayfair mansion linked to Napoleon III goes on sale for £14.5m

Six-bedroom townhouse was originally the home of the third Earl of Malmesbury, and hosted French emperor Napoleon III during his exile in London

The facade of the Charles Street mansion, on the market for £14.5 million. Photo: Beauchamp Estates / Alex Winship

A six-bedroom mansion in the upmarket London neighbourhood of Mayfair where exiled French emperor Napoleon III was entertained in the mid 19th century is up for sale.

The grand five-storey Georgian townhouse, with its cream stucco facade and integrated mews, was originally built in 1753 and is now on the market for £14.5 million ($18.1 million).

It was once the home of British foreign secretary James Harris (1807-1889), the third Earl of Malmesbury.

On graduating from the University of Oxford in 1828, the young Harris toured France where he met and befriended Prince Louis Napoleon Bonaparte (1808-1873), the nephew and heir of Napoleon Bonaparte. Prince Louis would become emperor and rule France between 1848 to 1870.

In 1841, Harris was elected MP for Wilton (now Salisbury in Wiltshire), but almost immediately resigned, because the death of his father meant he inherited the third Earl of Malmesbury title and was elevated to the House of Lords. His father's considerable estate included the mansion on Charles Street in Mayfair. Prince Louis stayed in London in exile between 1838 and 1840, and again from 1846 to 1848. On many occasions during those years, Harris, who was soon to become Britain's foreign secretary, entertained Bonaparte at his Charles Street house.

A life-size portrait of Napoleon III, a frequent visitor to the Charles Street mansion. Photo: Wikipedia

It was not only the future French emperor who was wined and dined at the mansion. He would be regularly joined by the prime minister Edward Smith-Stanley, Benjamin Disraeli (who himself later became prime minister) and Charles Dickens, the author and editor of The Daily News. As foreign secretary and friend of the prince, Harris was instrumental in the acquiescence of the British government to Bonaparte's move to elevate himself from France's first president to the country's second emperor in 1852. By 1873, Napoleon III's rule as France's last monarch was over and he died, once again in exile, in Kent in southern England.

Centre of Victorian politics

But the mansion on Charles Street that was at the centre of Anglo-French relations for many decades during the Victorian era remained and is now up for sale. It retains many of the original features crafted during a refurbishment in 1852.

“This magnificent Mayfair townhouse has entertained French royalty, prime ministers and famous authors," said Jeremy Gee, managing director of Beauchamp Estates. "Originally the London home of the British foreign secretary during the Victorian era, the spacious family home offers excellent entertaining space including the large first-floor double reception room. It provides the perfect family home for someone wanting a London base situated in the heart of Mayfair.”

The double reception room on the first floor at Charles Street. Photo: Beauchamp Estates / Alex Winship

The ground-floor dining room is resplendent, with a marble fireplace and windows that face on to the street. The main first-floor reception room, which hosted Napoleon III, Disraeli and Dickens, has a high ceiling, full-height windows, including a huge bay window, a grand fireplace and parquet flooring.

The principal bedroom suite. Photo: Beauchamp Estates / Alex Winship

The principal bedroom suite, once used by the Earl of Malmesbury himself, is bright and airy, with an ornate fireplace and French windows opening on to a balcony. The walk-in dressing room is lined with generous wardrobe space and the main bathroom has slab marble flooring, a marble and oak-clad oval bathtub, twin marble washbasins and built-in oak vanity units.

The main bathroom. Photo: Beauchamp Estates / Alex Winship

The top floor study/lounge opens on to a spacious rooftop terrace, providing ample space for entertaining and relaxing. Meanwhile, the family kitchen on the lower-ground floor has a central kitchen island, built-in units and cupboards with a range of integrated appliances.

The rooftop terrace. Photo: Beauchamp Estates / Alex Winship

“Charles Street is one of Mayfair’s premier addresses, which runs west from Berkeley Square, and the house has the advantage of being situated at the quieter, western end of the street, which offers easy access to Mount Street, the local high street," said Paul Finch, director and head of new homes at Beauchamp Estates. "The house is well‑located for Mayfair’s internationally renowned shops, designer boutiques, hotels, restaurants and private members’ clubs. Hyde Park and Green Park are both nearby.”

The townhouse is on sale for £14.5 million through Beauchamp Estates.