Historic Mayfair mansion with Kennedy connections hits market for £25 million
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A Grade II listed Edwardian mansion in the heart of Mayfair, once connected to the family of former US First Lady Jackie Kennedy, has come to market for the first time in more than three decades with an asking price of £25 million.
Located at 26 Upper Brook Street, the five storey townhouse spans approximately 13,928 square feet and overlooks Hyde Park. The property, known as Auchincloss House, includes a central courtyard garden and a separate mews house to the rear, offering rare scale and flexibility in one of London’s most tightly held neighbourhoods.
The mansion has most recently been used as office accommodation. However, Westminster City Council has given positive feedback regarding a reversion to single family residential use. Selling agents suggest that, subject to full planning consent and comprehensive refurbishment, the property could command as much as £55 million once restored and repositioned as a private residence.
Edwardian grandeur with transatlantic roots
Built between 1908 and 1909, the mansion was commissioned by James Monro Coats, the son of Anglo American industrialist Sir James Coats and his wife Sarah Anne Auchincloss, an American heiress. The façade reflects Tudor influences, executed in Portland stone, with prominent bay windows and a gable displaying the Auchincloss Coats family crest.
Inside, the interiors blend Edwardian interpretations of Newport and Mayfair style. A neo Georgian entrance hall anchors the ground floor, while the principal reception rooms reflect French Neo Rococo influences that were fashionable among affluent Anglo American families at the turn of the twentieth century.
If returned to residential use, the reconfigured layout could include a grand entrance hall with sweeping staircase, passenger lift, family kitchen and breakfast room on the ground floor, and four formal reception rooms suited to entertaining. The principal bedroom suite would occupy the second floor, with additional bedrooms arranged across the upper levels.
The mews house at the rear offers further potential, either as staff accommodation, private office space or ancillary living quarters.
A chapter in Kennedy family history
The property’s historical resonance extends beyond architecture. James Monro Coats was born at Hammersmith Farm in Newport, Rhode Island, the Auchincloss estate that later became the childhood summer home of Jacqueline Bouvier, who would go on to become Jackie Kennedy.
The Coats and Auchincloss families shared Scottish roots in Paisley before building textile fortunes in the United States. Their business and social ties were strengthened through marriage, linking the two families across the Atlantic.
In 1951, Hugh D. Auchincloss Jr sent his stepdaughters, Jackie, then 22, and Lee, 18, to Mayfair at the start of a three month European tour. The sisters visited relatives and key cultural destinations, reinforcing the longstanding ties between the Auchincloss family and London society.
After 1953, the Upper Brook Street mansion was converted into offices and later served for many years as the London headquarters of the Bank of Africa. Its period detailing and generous proportions, however, remain intact, offering a substantial foundation for restoration.
Prime Mayfair opportunity
Upper Brook Street remains one of Mayfair’s most prestigious residential addresses, running parallel to Park Lane and within walking distance of Hyde Park, Grosvenor Square and Mount Street. Freehold properties of this scale are rarely available, particularly those with established planning support for conversion back to residential use.
Agents Wetherell and Knight Frank are jointly marketing the property, with Peter Wetherell, founder and chairman of Wetherell, leading the listing. The mansion’s adaptable layout makes it suitable not only as a private family home, but also as an embassy, ambassadorial residence or private family office headquarters.
In a market where provenance and architectural integrity command a premium, Auchincloss House offers both. Its combination of Edwardian craftsmanship, Hyde Park views and transatlantic heritage positions it as one of the more distinctive offerings currently available in London’s prime central property sector.
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