Henry's Townhouse

Our travel diaries are back, spotlighting the most charming discoveries along the way as we make our next set of travel guides. This week we stayed at Henry’s Townhouse in Marylebone, London, where we found ourselves readily transported back to the Eighteenth-Century.

The dashing five-story townhouse occupies a grade II listed building, whose sympathetic restoration in 2019 has transformed the property into a tasteful reimagining of a gregarious Georgian abode with bold colours, sumptuous textures and beguiling detail.

The hotel’s namesake belongs to a noteworthy previous resident of No. 24—Henry Austen, elder brother to a certain Jane Austen.

This heritage is employed tastefully with subtle nods to the residence’s compelling history, such as the naming convention for each of the six bedrooms based on members of the Austen family, the decor for each as individual as the characters they take their name from.

We stayed in Phylly, enveloped in the warming tones of raspberry and umber, tucked quietly away at the top of the house. Once settled down for the night on our royally approved mattress set on a seven-foot sleigh, we proceeded to pay homage to our hosts by watching Sense & Sensibility on the concealed TV at the foot of the bed.

We awoke the next morning with a soft light pouring through the blinds, enjoying a slow morning with a leisurely coffee in bed, making the most of our temporary Regency abode.

Whilst travelling we always record everything in our journals—what may seem obvious or inconsequential at the time may prove invaluable at a later date. Re-reading an entry written on a bright morning in a far away land has the power to transport you back to that very moment you had forgotten all about weeks, months or years later.

We made our way to breakfast in the pantry, before traipsing the short distance to Hyde Park admiring the flurry of restaurants along Seymour Place and the picturesque Connaught Square on the way.

Upon our return we relaxed on the terrace, appreciating the novelty of such outdoor space in central London. We poked around a few of the other bedrooms, noting the attention to detail found throughout the entirety of the house, such as the exquisite campaign furniture found in Frank’s room—the bed, ready to be folded up and packed away on an adventure for its master’s comfort.

The staircases were laden with artwork borrowed from the owner’s personal collection, which is apparently forever rotating, but plentiful enough that we would notice something new with each trip to and from our room.

Shop our leather travel journals to help you record the most minute or major details of your adventures. Immerse yourself in the present, consider documenting your trip in a travel journal over a night cap or carrying a film camera so you can relive the moments weeks later. Rekindling the true magic of travel relies on our ability to savour the moment.

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