A chic six-floor west London townhouse which has been dubbed the ‘home of British comedy’ after being the writing haven of Eric Sykes and Spike Milligan for several decades is on the market for £6.5 million
The 5,697 sq.ft. Victorian building, of the address 9 Orme Court, saw legends including Sykes, Milligan, Peter Sellers and Terry Nation walk through its doors and devise scripts for much-loved TV shows including Steptoe and Son and Dr Who and the Daleks.
In its later years, after Milligan sold his share of the property to Sykes, it also became the place where he worked on his Teletubbies voiceovers and rehearsed for roles in Hollywood hits including Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
Today the townhouse is a chic pad with an ornate first-floor balcony, high ceilings and French doors – plus plenty of room for walk-in wardrobes.
The writing haven at 9 Orme Court in Bayswater, west London (pictured), was owned by Spike Milligan and Eric Sykes and welcomed writers including Terry Nation through its doors to work – becoming the birthplace of characters including the daleks and Davros from Dr Who
Today the six-floor townhouse, still owned by Sykes’s family, is accessorised with bright furniture while the decoration itself is a blank canvas
The reception room, which appears to be on the top floor of the property, is furnished with royal blue armchairs while it retains its original floor boards
One of the house’s many offices is a shared working space with several desks and mustard yellow cushioned velvet chairs
The front facade of the property features two blue English Heritage plaques for its former owners, Spike Milligan and Eric Sykes
The home, which currently has two English Heritage Blue plaques on its front red-brick façade for Milligan and Sykes, first became a place for British comedy in 1953, when the legendary comedians set up their creative offices in Shepherd’s Bush Green, from which they launched Associated London Scripts (ALS) with Ray Galton and Alan Simpson.
Nine years later in 1962, Milligan and Sykes moved their headquarters to 9 Orme Court, which they rented together while subletting rooms to ALS writers.
Today the townhouse, still owned by Sykes’s family, remains an office space as an elegant gem in the heart of West London with a boutique feel from its cosy rooms accessorised with chic furniture.
Many rooms maintain the c-1890 property’s original hardwood floors, which appear to have been restored to near-perfect condition.
The current owner of the six-floor property appears to have stayed true to the building’s history and has maintained Eric Sykes’s former office as a study/home-working space.
The property comes with an ornate balcony on the first floor – on which the estate agent recommends a new buyer could put the master bedroom
The house is full of reception rooms such as this one which has been kitted out with black leather chairs and a straw rug in the centre of the room
The house contains several offices, including this space, where The Goon Show was rehearsed, which now has a grey carpet and white and wicker furniture
Another view of one of the living rooms which has been kitted out with a bright red and bright green sofa which face each other as the light from French doors pours in
This office, which is furnished with accessories in different shades of blue, was the place where Terry Nation wrote Dr Who’s villainous characters, the daleks and Davros
It is currently kitted out with three desks which are neatly packed into the room and accompanied by mustard yellow velvet cushioned office chairs.
The carpeted living room, with magnolia walls, has been kept neutral in its design, save for bright green and bright red sofas facing each other on each side of the room.
Another reception room, which appears to be on the top floor of the townhouse, has maintained its original floorboards and has been decorated with a royal blue armchair, a lavish patterned rug, and a beautiful desk which looks like it is made from mahogany.
During the years it was home to the ALS, Eric Sykes turned the first floor reception room of the property into his office, while Spike Milligan took the first floor living room to the rear.
Spike also had a bedroom on an upper floor – although he furnished his office with a pull-out bed.
While working out of the Victorian townhouse, Terry Nation write the 1963 BBC script for Dr Who and The Daleks, which was the first appearance of the evil bots. In 1975 he went back to 9 Orme Street to write Genesis of the Daleks, in which Davros made his first appearance.
The townhouse also saw scripts written for several comedies including The Goon Show, Educating Archie, Hancock’s Half Hour, Steptoe and Son and ‘Til Death Do us Part.
Meanwhile Dennis Spooner wrote scripts for Thunderbirds from his office in 9 Orme Street.
Eric continued to work from his first floor office in the property until 2011, the year before he died. From there, he worked on voiceovers for Teletubbies and rehearsed for parts in Hollywood films including Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
Now the comedian’s family, who currently own the property, have decided to sell up with a view to returning the building to residential use – subject to liaison with Westminster City Council.
Estate agent Carter Jonas recommends the second floor – where the Daleks were written – should become the master bedroom, complete with a marble bathroom and a walk-in wardrobe.
On the two floors above it recommends four more bedrooms, each with walk-in wardrobes. It also estimates space for a fitness studio or even a separate studio flat on the lower ground floor.
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