Across the river in Chelsea, the chock of leather on willow is a familiar summer sound for the residents of Burton Court on Franklins Row, a smart mansion block with its own playing fields, a quick throw from the Kings Road and Sloane Square. Knight Frank (020?7591 8600) quote a guide price of £3.5m for the remaining 976 year lease of 14 Burton Court, a sumptuous, 2,559sq ft, third-floor apartment with panoramic southerly views over the Royal Hospital, and west over the cricket ground of Burton Court. The accommodation includes a drawing room, a dining room/library, a kitchen/ breakfast room and four bedrooms.
Of course, you don?t have to live at Burton Court to enjoy a grandstand view of the action on the cricket field: the Cale Street office of John D. Wood (020?7352 1484) is selling two classic Georgian houses in fashionable SW3, both of which overlook the grounds of Burton Court.
Elegant 32 St Leonards Terrace has been modernised throughout and has three reception rooms, three bedrooms, three bathrooms and a kitchen/breakfast room; it is for sale at £2m. The much larger 24 Smith Street has 4,885sq ft of accommodation on four floors including five reception rooms, five bedrooms and three bathrooms; a guide price of £4.6m is quoted for the freehold.
How many residents of cosmopolitan Lennox Gardens, SW1, are aware, I wonder, that this was the site of the Prince?s Cricket Ground, where matches were played between the Australians and the MCC in the 1880s, until the lease ran out and the site was developed for housing?
The nearby Aus-tralian pub in Milner Street (a veritable treasure-house of cricketing memorabilia) was where thirsty Australian cricketers, and others, repaired for refreshment after a game. Local agents Henry & James (020?7235 8861) are asking £1.25m for the remaining 100-year lease of a luxurious two double-bedroom apartment in Lennox Gardens, which has a terrace and access to the communal gardens.
One property which will benefit from its cricketing connections in seasons to come is 105 Lords View, NW8, a trendy two-bedroom apartment with a balcony overlooking Lord?s cricket ground. Knight Frank (020?7586 2777) quote a guide price of £450,000 for the property, which includes a share of the freehold.
This article was originally published in Country Life magazine, November 3, 2005. To subscribe click here.
