Cinemagic

I love the history and grandeur of my little London retreat; some say it is too big for me alone, but I love the space.” Ava Gardner’swords might perhaps conjure images of some bijou bolt-hole nestled in the heart of the capital, but the beautiful Hollywood star was actually referring to her 3,000 square foot home on the first floor of 34 Ennismore Gardens in Knightsbridge. It was here in this elegant garden square flat that she spent the last decades of her life enjoying a surprisingly quiet existence.

- Amanda Hodges

The houses in Ennismore Gardens possess a long history, being built in 1870 as part of the redevelopment of Kingston House, a Palladian mansion that dated back to the 18th century. The mansion and its estate was subsequently taken over by William Hare, Baron of Ennismore, in 1837, but was soldfor development after his demise, the street and private gardens being named in his honour.

In November 2016 a blue plaque commemorating Ava’s residence here was unveiled by English Heritage. Her years in this affluent corner of the capital, just a stone’s throw from Harrods and the Royal Albert Hall, are little-known yet, despite a stroke that partially incapacitated her after 1986, Ava found considerable contentment living a low-key life in London, aided by her housekeeper, Carmen Vargas, and sharing her time with her beloved corgis. Ava would say that this suited her perfectly as “I like to live simply and out of the public eye. I enjoy my privacy enormously. And I’m not the playgirl I used to be.”

The straightforward existence she led here was a far cry from the intense demands of her former Hollywood life, but the notoriously hard-drinking Ava certainly didn’t regret the change of pace. She once said, “the truth is that the only time I’m happy is when I’m doing absolutely nothing. I don’t understand people who like to work and talk about it like it was some sort of goddamn duty. Doing nothing feels like floating on warm water to me. Delightful, perfect.”