Hill House, the former home of author and journalist Cyrus Redding (1785-1870) has been launched to the market for the first time in 26 years by estate agents Aston Chase. Located on Hill Road in St John’s Wood, the period home, which is believed to have been built c.1780, is on sale for £5.25M. Hill House offers 2,732 sq. ft. of space over three floors with four bedrooms, three bathrooms, large entertaining spaces and a private paved rear garden.

Born in Cornwall in 1785, Cyrus Redding began his career writing and editing regional new outlets in the South of England including the Plymouth Chronicle and the Bath Guardian. He continued writing for these newspapers even after moving to London in 1806 and he went on to split his time between London, Cornwall and France for the remainder of his life.

Cyrus Redding bought Hill House in 1831 and from here he founded The English Journal and The London Journal news publications in 1841. Redding went on to focus the remainder of his life on novel writing. His books and novels included Shipwrecks and Disasters at Sea and Gabrielle, both of which have been selected by scholars as being culturally important. From his French travels, Redding became a highly respected wine journalist and critique and went on to write the historically important History and Description of Modern Wines in 1833. During his time in London, Redding wrote 13 published books, many of which are still used by scholars and historians today.

After Cyrus Redding, Hill House had only been owned by 10 other families before the current sellers purchased it 1994, it has since not been marketed in over 26 years.

Hill House has retained its period charm with a Georgian double fronted brick-work façade with sash windows. There is a gated entrance and off-street parking. Upon entering the home, residents benefit from a spacious reception hall. To the right of the reception is an informal sitting room which features high ceilings and a period style fireplace.

To the left of the reception hall is a large open plan formal living room and dining room. The room has retained a number of period features including a marble fireplace and cornices. The centre of the open plan room provides a less formal seating area with the dining space at the far end of the room. The dining room, which can comfortably sit ten guests, is bright due to a sky light and French doors which open onto the paved rear garden. The ground floor of Hill House also has a separate kitchen and utility room.

The first floor of Hill House provides the principal bedroom suite, accessible via impressive double doors. The suite has a spacious principal bedroom, overlooking Hill Road and a separate dressing room with two walk-in wardrobes and two en-suite bathrooms. There is also a large study, perfect for home-working or home-schooling however, it could also be transformed into a guest bedroom. Hill House’s second floor provides two further spacious guest bedrooms, a family bathroom and storage space.

Mark Pollack, Director & Co Founder of Aston Chase commented: “Hill Houseis a very special home discreetly located just off Abbey Road literally around the corner from the world-famous Abbey Road Studios yet within easy walking distance of all of the amenities of St John’s Wood. It is a deceptive home of immense charm and character and it is not at all surprising that it has only had a handful of owners since originally being built in c1780 as reflected by the 26-year ownership by the existing owners. The numerous period features, spacious entertaining areas and the enchanting courtyard garden combine to create a magical home ideally suited to buyers seeking an individual yet understated home and may be especially appealing to one of the many celebrities routinely attracted to St John’s Wood for its proximity to central London yet low built attractive tree lined streets.”