Buy One Marylebone Penthouse, Get First Edition Rossetti Poems Free

Who doesn’t love a two-for-one deal? No one can deny that freebies are verifiably fun, whatever the value. But while we would never say no to buying three supermarket dips for the price of two, not all two-for-one offers are made equal.

With this latest deal from Marylebone Square, buy one penthouse and get a first edition copy of Christina Rossetti’s poems for free – if by free, of course, we’re ignoring the £27m original cost. Whether drawing in prospective buyers with promises of free V&A membership or VIP access to Louis Vuitton, this freebie seems to be latest in a long line of deals designed to entice residents. 

Discover Why This Marylebone Penthouse Is Named After Christina Rossetti

© Simon Watson

Located in the heart of London’s Marylebone Village (part of the exclusive Harold de Walden Estate), this penthouse is named for the famous poet and painter Christina Rossetti who once called Marylebone home. One of Britain’s most celebrated poets, she spent much of her life in Marylebone and wrote one of her best-loved works ‘Goblin Market’ while living in the area. Honouring the area’s rich literary heritage (with other residents past including Charles Dickens, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and T.S. Eliot) the development seeks to forge a connection between today’s residents and the area’s cultural past. 

Occupying the rooftop of Marylebone Square, the new build mixed used development is Marylebone Village’s first in 50 years. Spanning 5,000 sqft, the three-bedroom penthouse includes a 1,400 sqft wraparound terrace which unfolds as a sequence of outdoor rooms. Beyond the literary connections, another key feature of the development is the lack of internal corridors, with all residences accessed by a system of breezeways off a five-storey interior courtyard. 

© Simon Watson

Outside, the terrace features gardens designed in collaboration with landscape architect Joe Brimson which offer unobstructed views across Marylebone’s rooftops and beyond. Furnished by Phil Waterson, the interiors reflect a refined and contemporary approach – combining natural materials, open-plan layouts and serene lighting. Alongside the Rossetti connection, the home’s cultural offerings also include the painting Midnight Dusk by contemporary British artist Richard Whadcock. 

Where Did Christina Rossetti Live?

The celebrated 19th century Romantic poet – best known for her poem ‘Goblin Market’ and carol ‘In the Bleak Midwinter’ – Christina Rossetti was born on 5 December 1830 at 38 Charlotte Street (now 110 Hallam Street) around Marylebone to Gabriele Rossetti (a poet and political exile from Italy) and Frances Polidori (the sister of John William Polidori, writer of the first Vampyre novel).

Growing up, the Rossetti home was open to visiting Italian scholars, adventurers and revolutionaries – a creative upbringing which clearly influenced the siblings. Christina’s brother Dante Gabriel became a revered artist and poet, while William Michael and Maria were also writers. In 1836, the family moved a few doors down the road to 50 Charlotte Street. It was while living in this Marylebone property that Christina became engaged to painter James Collinson in 1848, before calling off the nuptials two years later when he reverted back to Catholicism.

© Simon Watson

With Christina’s father struggling with his physical and mental health, he was forced to give up his teaching post at King’s College, plunging the family into severe financial difficulty and forcing them to move from Charlotte Street to Camden Town in 1851. Here, Christina and her mother briefly ran a small day school before moving their schooling venture to Frome, Somerset in 1853 where they lived at Brunswick Place, Fromefield. Following the death of her father in 1854, Christina and her mother gave up teaching and moved to 45 Upper Albany Street (now 166 Albany Street) in Regent’s Park with financial support from her grandparents.

Refusing two further proposals (one in 1856, the third a year or two later), Rossetti volunteered at the London Diocesan Penitentiary in Highgate – a refuge for fallen women which inspired ‘Goblin Market’. In 1867, the family moved to 56 Euston Square following further fiancial struggles before relocating to 30 Torrington Square (back in Marylebone) in 1876, where she lived with her mother and aunts until her death in 1894. 

Where Is It? 

Located in Marylebone, nearby landmarks include iconic cheese shop Le Formargerie, Daunt’s Books, The Wallace Collection and Chiltern Street, with Selfridges, Bond Street and Regent’s Park only a short walk away. 

The Christina Rossetti penthouse is on the market for £27m. Find out more at marylebonesquare.com