Belgrave Square mansion

Belgrave Square mansion is the London residence Paul McGill bought for Emma Harte, Daisy, and himself, turning a private relationship into a carefully arranged household. Its two self-contained flats—separate to the casual observer but connected by a private interior lift—embodied the balance the couple sought between discretion and intimacy. Over time, the house accommodated a wider family, offering a domestic centre for Emma and her children and, during the Second World War, a welcoming refuge for young airmen on leave.

Purchase and design

In the late summer of 1925, Paul purchased an unusually beautiful mansion in Belgrave Square and immediately gave the deeds to Emma. He spared no expense in remodelling it, dividing the building into two flats with separate entrances. The smaller bachelor quarters on the ground floor were retained for Paul; the three floors above became an appointed maisonette for Emma and Daisy, with a nanny, housekeeper, and maid engaged to serve the household. Although the two residences appeared entirely independent from outside, a private interior elevator linked them.

This arrangement made the building more than an impressive London address. It provided a practical way for Paul and Emma to live together while preserving the appearance of separate households. Their domestic space therefore reflected the constraints still surrounding their relationship: Paul remained married, and Emma was reluctant to expose their life together to public scrutiny, particularly in view of her other children and her responsibilities as a mother. The house allowed closeness without requiring them to display it openly.

A shared household, discreetly arranged

Paul and Emma lived together in the mansion with an eye to propriety. Emma was notably sensitive about public opinion concerning her personal morals, despite her fearlessness in business and her indifference to what others thought of her professional conduct. She explained that she would care less once divorced; Paul understood her reserve as a consequence of her early experiences. Their home thus held a tension between private certainty and outward caution, even as the private lift physically connected the two flats.

The divorce came sooner than expected. After the decree nisi was granted, Emma brought the twins, Robin and Elizabeth, to live with her in Belgrave Square, and Arthur Ainsley made no objection. Emma welcomed their presence both because she was finally free of Arthur and because she could raise the twins without his influence. Kit, still at boarding school, spent half terms and vacations with her; he approved of Paul and was devoted to him, and did not mourn Arthur’s sudden absence from his life. The mansion consequently became a home for Emma’s children across different stages of childhood, rather than simply a residence for the couple.

The centre of a changing family

Paul became the household’s titular head. His strength and inherent gentleness won the children’s respect and affection, and he quickly assumed the role of father figure to them all. Emma and Paul remained circumspect, especially in front of the children, but in time the family’s unusual arrangements attracted less attention. Their household brought together Emma’s children by different fathers, and the children came to accept Paul’s place in it. As that acceptance grew, Emma gradually relaxed her earlier concern about how their life might be judged.

The mansion also supported the practical demands of Emma’s business and family life. After the divorce, she reorganized her enterprises so she could spend most of her time in London. Winston became managing director of the Yorkshire shops and mills, while Emma supervised those industries from her Knightsbridge headquarters and travelled monthly to Leeds for five demanding days of work. The Belgrave Square home stood within a wider reorganization: Emma could establish a London base for her family while delegating responsibility for the northern businesses.

Social life and wartime refuge

The residence formed the setting for a life of travel and social activity shared by Paul and Emma. He dressed her in jewels, furs, and gowns, and entertained lavishly with her as his hostess. They attended the theatre, opera, concerts, dinners, and parties, and mixed with influential people in London and other cities. Paul also took Emma to European capitals on business and pleasure trips, as well as to New York, Texas, and Australia. The mansion was therefore both a domestic base and part of the prosperous public life the couple built together, despite Paul’s continuing inability to obtain a divorce from Constance.

During the war, the house again gathered family members, though not all could be present. At Elizabeth’s wedding over the Christmas holidays, the family briefly reunited except for Edwina, who remained estranged from Emma, and Kit, who could not obtain leave. By the end of the summer term in 1942, Daisy had left boarding school and returned to live with Emma and Elizabeth in Belgrave Square. The home felt less lonely, and Robin’s visits from Biggin Hill brought RAF friends with him. When hotels were full, Emma willingly let the young pilots stay. That Christmas, Robin arrived on a three-day pass with three friends, among them David Amory. In a period marked by air raids and deprivation, the mansion’s established hospitality turned it into a family refuge and a temporary home for servicemen.