For a building overlooking London’s Trafalgar Square, Norway House has a surprisingly Norwegian story to tell. The building was completed in 1914, but its identity really took shape in the 1920s, when it became home to the Norwegian Chamber of Commerce. A gilded statue of St. Olaf, the medieval Norwegian king who became the country’s patron saint, was added to the facade, along with a Norwegian heraldic shield and other decorative details. The Norwegian Club moved in a few years later.
Its most important chapter came during World War II. After Germany invaded Norway in 1940, King Haakon VII and the Norwegian government fled to Britain and set up a government-in-exile in London. Norway House became home to several Norwegian organizations and government offices, and the king and other government officials were among its visitors.
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The newly refurbished apartment features a bright, contemporary living room.
Dimitrios Sofianopoulos
That history is still visible from the windows of one of the building’s apartments. The newly refurbished three-bedroom home has a nearly 38-foot-long living and dining room with a wide bay window that looks straight across Trafalgar Square and toward Nelson’s Column. Come December, there’s an especially good view of the Norwegian Christmas tree that Oslo sends to London every year.
The tradition began in 1947, when Oslo gave London its first Christmas tree as a thank you for Britain’s support during the war. Nearly 80 years later, the tree still makes the trip from Norway to Trafalgar Square each Christmas. So the apartment offers a rather nice bit of historical symmetry, a home inside a building tied to Norway’s wartime presence in London, overlooking a Christmas tradition that grew out of that same relationship.
The 1,427-square-foot apartment has three bedrooms, two marble bathrooms, a pale-blue kitchen, and a spacious reception and dining area. Period details are mixed with custom oak cabinetry and modern technology, but the views are clearly the star.
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The pale-blue kitchen has ample cabinetry, counter space, and a central island.
Dimitrios Sofianopoulos
The apartment is now on the market for 2.95 million pounds, about $4 million, with Becky Fatemi’s team at UK Sotheby’s International Realty. The home also comes with more than 950 years left on the lease.
“You have beautifully refurbished lateral space, an almost 38-foot reception room, and these extraordinary views across Trafalgar Square,” says Thomas Brooks, director of sales at UK Sotheby’s International Realty. He adds that it’s the connection to Norway House’s history that really makes the apartment stand out.
Click here to see more photos of this London apartment.
Dimitrios Sofianopoulos
Authors
Abby Montanez
