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With a doll, teddy bear and high chair, it was a room well-appointed for the task of comforting a princess.
Back in July 1927, Princess Elizabeth – the future Queen – was barely a year old when the interior of her parents’ London townhouse, 145 Piccadilly, was photographed.
The stunning images, which also reveal the cot that the monarch slept in, are published in a new book.
London: Lost Interiors, written by historian Stephen Brindle and published this month by Atlantic Publishing, takes readers inside many exclusive properties that have since been demolished.
Around half of the homes in the book no longer exist. According to Mr Brindle, they are ‘victims of the waves of redevelopment that result from London’s continuing prosperity.’
The Queen’s home was badly damaged by a bomb during the Second World War and subsequently pulled down.
One still-standing property that features in the book is the Grade I-listed Gothic revival Tower House in Holland Park, Kensington.
It has been owned by Led Zeppelin rocker Jimmy Page since 1972, but pictures show it shortly after construction was finished in 1878. Sir Jimmy has painstakingly maintained the stunning property that was the brainchild of original owner William Burges.
The other now-demolished properties in the book include the original Dorchester House, regarded as ‘probably the most splendid private house ever built in London’.
145 Piccadilly
The day nursery of Princess Elizabeth at her parents’ home, 145 Piccadilly in Mayfair, 1927. The property was badly damaged during the Blitz in 1940 and was subsequently demolished. The property was the childhood home of the future Queen until 1936, when the Duke of York became King George VI and had to move with his family to Buckingham Palace
The night nursery of Princess Elizabeth at 145 Piccadilly, 1927. Notable is the photograph of Queen Mary – Elizabeth’s grandmother – on the chest of drawers
The Tower House
The Grade I-listed Gothic revival Tower House in Holland Park, Kensington. It has been owned by Led Zeppelin rocker Jimmy Page since 1972. Above is the bedroom of the original owner, architect William Burges. It was photographed when he lived there from after construction was finished in 1878 and his death in 1881
A stunning guest bedroom in the Tower House is seen above. Jimmy Page has spent decades painstakingly caring for the property
The exterior of the stunning Tower House, which is now owned by Led Zeppelin star Jimmy Page
Dorchester House, Park Lane
The marble staircase inside the magnificent Dorchester House, in Park Lane, Mayfair, in 1905. It is described by Mr Brindle as, ‘probably the most splendid private house ever built in London’. It was built for the very wealthy Robert Stayner Holford. The property was demolished in 1929 to make way for the Dorchester Hotel
White Lodge, Richmond Park
The sitting room of Mary of Teck – the future Queen Mary – at White Lodge in Richmond Park in 1892. Notable are the pictures on her dressing table. As well as Queen Victoria there is Prince Albert Victor, who Mary was set to marry before his untimely death. She went on to marry his younger brother, the future King George V, in 1893. White Lodge was occupied in the 1890s by Mary’s parents, the Duke and Duchess of Teck. The house was photographed by Bedford Lemere
Clarence House
The interior of Clarence House in 1874, when it was the home of Queen Victoria’s fourth child, Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh. The property had to be rebuilt after severe damage in the Second World War. It is now King Charles’s usual residence when he is in London
Rutland Court, Knightsbridge
Inside Flat 12, Rutland Court, the Knightsbridge home of society photographer Cecil Beaton. Seen are the walls are cuttings of the faces of members of Beaton’s illustrious social circle. Visible are the likes of Greta Garbo and Gary Cooper
15 Hyde Park Gardens
A twin bedroom inside 15 Hyde Park Gardens, in Bayswater, west London, photographed in 1890 by leading architectural photographers Bedford Lemere & Company. It was the home of engineer Peter Brotherhood, who ran a firm named after him that specialised in engines used in the Royal Navy’s torpedoes. The room above, likely that of Brotherhood and his wife Eliza, had been decorated by Howard & Sons of Berners Street
5 Hamilton Place, Mayfair
The bedroom of the wife of Leopold de Rothschild at 5 Hamilton Place, Mayfair, in 1881. The interior decoration was by John Jackson and Mellier & Company and boasted carved woodwork by Rinaldo Barbetti of Florence. The house still stands but is now a casino
35 Wimpole Street, Mayfair
The modern bathroom inside the home of Arts patron Edward James and his ballerina wife, Tilly Losch, in 1932. The bathroom, at 35 Wimpole Street in Marylebone, featured mirrored tiles and fluorescent-tube lighting. It was designed by Paul Nash. Today, the property houses the Harley Street Clinic
7 Chesterfield Gardens, Mayfair
The home of the then owner of The Sunday Times and The Observer, Frederick Beer and his wife Rachel Sassoon. Pictured in 1893, 7 Chesterfield Gardens, boasted an Oriental Room (above) filled with mostly Japanese objects. From 1891, Ms Sassoon became the first woman to edit a British newspaper, at The Observer
20 Grosvenor Square, Mayfair
American actress Fay Wray seen at her home – 20 Grosvenor Square, in Mayfair – in 1935. Wray was fresh from making several films in Britain. She was photographed by Millar & Harris for Beauty Publications Ltd. The block she lived in was brand new, built in the Neo-Georgian style
18 Carlton House Terrace
The home of Spanish financier José de Murrieta y del Campo in 1890. The staircase at 18 Carlton House terrace was designed by William Burn for the 6th Duke of Newcastle. This was one home where electricity was installed early
The magnificent staircase inside 18 Carlton House terrace is seen above. It was photographed in 1890 by Bedford Lemere
49 Princes Gate, Kensington
The Kensington home of shipping magnate Frederick Richards Leyland. The drawing room (above in 1877) at 49 Princes Gate was themed around Leyland’s collection of women by Dante Gabriel. The property still stands today
39 Hill Street, Mayfair
A flat inside 39 Hill Street in Mayfair in 1935. The nine-storey block was built the previous year by L. Solomon & Sons. The above picture was taken for the designer Betty Joel. It represents what Mr Brindle describes as the designer’s ‘functional, modern aesthetic’
54 Mount Street, Mayfair
The stunning 54 Mount Street in Mayfair in 1899. It was the home of Robert Clive, Viscount Windsor, later Earl of Plymouth. The mighty mansion was built between 1896 and 1899. The home’s marble flooring came from Lord Windsor’s Penarth quarries
18 Yeoman’s Row, Chelsea
The Chelsea home of radical designer Wells Wintemute Coates in 1937. The home, 18 Yeoman’s Row, was laid out in a minimalist style and evoked a nautical quality
London: Lost Interiors, written by historian Stephen Brindle and published this month by Atlantic Publishing, takes readers inside many exclusive properties that have since been demolished
