10 Soho Square: Bringing glamour back to London’s film land

It has always been  desirable to live off one of London’s garden squares. These traditionally fashionable addresses – such as Chester Square, Hanover Square and Eaton Square – are known in the popular imagination as the homes of the aristocracy and elder statesmen.

Eaton Square is probably today’s most illustrious example, but back in the 17th century, the square that drew in socialites, the nobility and diplomats was Soho Square, off Oxford Street. Boutique property developer Oakmayne Bespoke is hoping its newest development, named simply 10 Soho Square, will bring some of the old glamour back to the once-feted address, which is steadily growing again in popularity.  A leafy green space is still the focal point, with a wooden shelter in the middle, but the area has become home to some of the world’s biggest film distributors.

“From 2009 to 2013, Soho has witnessed house price growth of over 184 per cent,” says Guy Passey at joint sales agents CBRE, “and when compared with the growth of Greater London at 30 per cent during the same period, it reflects the high demand for a residential offering in the area.” Add to that the £1bn re-development of nearby Tottenham Court Road station to accommodate high-speed train service Crossrail and the prices can only soar. 

Oakmayne Bespoke has converted a Grade-II listed 17th century townhouse, boasting an original stone and brick facade, into a collection of five two and three-bed apartments and one four-bed duplex penthouse. 

The building originally started life as two townhouses in the late 1670s when Soho Square was known as King’s Square. Soon afterwards, it was knocked into one grand 8,300sqft townhouse in 1696 by Craven Howard, a wealthy local merchant. By 1711, it had fallen into the ownership of the Duke of Portland who leased it out to aristocrats and members of Parliament, before it was converted into office space in 1945.

The show apartments are finally open for viewings after a 15-month restoration that has seen the them transformed into modern homes. With the help of young interiors upstarts Lambart & Browne, the properties are now popping with colour, animal prints and a plethora of textures from marble tiles to wool-carpeted flooring. All of the properties have their own floor plan and design, so each home feels unique to its buyer. Move fast:  rumour has it that one of the apartments is already under offer.