The blue plaque, former home of actor Alastair Sim, star of the 1954 Belles of St Trinian’s, is now available to rent with Dexters for £5,499 a month.
Born in Edinburgh in 1900, Sim decided to pursue a career in acting at the end of the First World War. Initially working odd jobs as a lecturer in elocution and then as a drama teacher, he was cast in his first professional production, Orthello at the Savoy Theatre in London, in 1930.
The Scottish character actor then went on to star in a number of box office hits. His 1951 performance of Scrooge is considered by many to be the best portrayal of the title character on screen, while his dual role of headmistress Miss Fritton and her brother Clarence in the 1954 production of The Belles of St Trinian helped make the film a British classic.
During the height of his career, Sim and his wife Naomi Platt moved to a four bedroom flat in Frognal Gardens where they lived for more than twenty years. In 2008, The English Heritage unveiled a blue plaque on the red brick property with the help of Sim’s daughter Merlith McKendrick and actors Sir Ian McKellen and Dame Barbara Winsor.
Today, this Hampstead property offers four bedrooms and two bathrooms set across two floors. Recently renovated, all the rooms on the lower level have oak wooden floors and the spacious reception and dining area is set around an original Victorian fireplace. Opposite, the kitchen provides a second dining space with a central island and breakfast bar.
Under a five minutes walk from the green open spaces of Hampstead Heath and Hampstead tube station, this property is ideally located on a quiet residential road. There are some great restaurants and pubs nearby, such as Jin Kichi Japanese and The Horseshoe Pub as well as Hampstead High Street which offers an eclectic mix of boutique shops, eateries and high-end fashion brands.
James Simmons, Lettings Director of Dexters Hampstead says, ‘This beautifully presented apartment in Hampstead has heritage, character and a great location. New residents will have access to a large communal garden and with some of London’s best schools nearby, it would make a fantastic family home.’
