A Whitehaven Mansions home: studio in Florin Court made famous by David Suchet's Hercule Poirot for sale for £335k
A small studio flat has been listed for sale in the Art Deco-style apartment block made famous as the home of Dame Agatha Christie’s quirky Belgian sleuth Hercule Poirot.
British actor Sir David Suchet starred as the detective for over two decades in the TV adaptation of the novels, Agatha Christie’s Poirot, from the late-Eighties until he retired from the role in 2013 after completing the cannon of works – and 70 episodes – featuring the character.
Flat 203 at 56B Whitehaven Mansions is the fictional home of Hercule Poirot in the mid-1930s – the first mention of it is thought to have been in Christie’s The A.B.C Murders published in 1936.
Florin Court, a 10-storey Art Deco building on the east side of Charterhouse Square, provides the exterior setting for Poirot’s home address in the TV series.
Located near the Brutalist post-war Barbican estate and Smithfield Market, the U-plan of the building designed by Guy Morgan & Partners was so as to give views over Charterhouse Square to as many rooms as possible.
Built in 1936 by J. Gerrard & Sons at a cost of £74,000, the 126-home block was expected to cater for the needs of businessmen needing to be at Smithfield Market early in the morning and who would enjoy the convenience of a small, City pied-à-terre.
In a TV documentary, Being Poirot, Suchet revealed that the building chosen to recreate Whitehaven Mansions was not for its location – in the Square Mile – but because of it being symmetrical.
Florin Court is largely made up of small studios, although there are some one-bedroom and some two-bedroom apartments, and the one now for sale was originally listed for £375,000 in summer last year.
As with many small City flats over the past few months, the price has gradually come down – in this case by just over 10 per cent – so it’s now on the market for £335,000.
The fourth-floor apartment has been rented out for around five years and needs some TLC, but comes with access to a shared roof terrace, a basement swimming pool and a share of the freehold.
“Covid-19 has had an awful effect on the City with it empty of workers,” says Nick Scott of Scott City Residential who are marketing the property.
“People generally reassess their housing needs at such a time and, yes there has been an ‘escape to the country’ but we are seeing a return to buying in the City with enquiries rising.
“Values in 2020 fell by approximately 10 per cent so property is looking reasonably priced at present.”
Many previously priced out of central London may now find property more in line with their price range, adds Scott.