Mere moments from Marble Arch station is where you’ll stumble upon one of London’s largest (yet littlest) secrets in the form of 10 Hyde Park Place. Nestled neatly between two mansion blocks, this pocket-sized property is thought to be the smallest house in the capital city. And it comes with quite the fascinating backstory.
The history of London’s smallest house
The dinky dwelling dates all the way back to 1805, but the reason behind its initial construction is still a subject of debate. It’s thought by some to have originally been built to stop grave-robbers from using the space in which it sits as a way to access the nearby St George’s graveyard. Others believe it was used as a teeny-tiny annexe for servants working in the surrounding mansions. And some people even think it might have once been occupied by a mythical dwarf. Nobody knows for certain, and it’s likely that nobody ever will. But what we do know for sure is that it’s a pretty unique little spot – and well worth seeking out, if you’re in the area.
The house measures approximately three-and-a-half feet in width (just over a metre), making it smaller than the average wardrobe. And despite there being no images of the inside available to the public, the house supposedly boasts just two rooms, connected by a ladder.
In 1913, the property was sold under auction for £9,250 – which would have been a rather hefty sum back then, equating to over £1 million nowadays. It was damaged during the Blitz, and at some point in the 1990s, it received a modern makeover, leading to its current curved red-brick facade.
10 Hyde Park Place is now part of the nearby Tyburn Convent and thought to be inhabited by Benedictine nuns. Just a stone’s throw away from Hyde Park, there’s every chance that you’ve walked past this surreptitious structure before without even noticing it. But next time you’re wandering past it, we’d highly recommend taking a peek.
📍10 Hyde Park Place, W2 2LH.
