The Embassy of Kosovo has purchased the former home of comedian Spike Milligan.

The Diplomatic mission of Kosovo purchased 9 Orme Court in London’s Bayswater, a grand 5,697 sq.ft. Victorian townhouse, formerly the home of Spike Milligan and office of Eric Sykes, and plan to transform the building into the new London Embassy.

The property had a price tag of £6.5m.

Beauchamp Estates, who were instructed to sell 9 Orme Court, introduced the Embassy of Kosovo, and negotiated the successful sale.

Originally built in the 1890s, the twin Blue Plaque 9 Orme Court is where Spike Milligan lived and worked, and where he, Eric Sykes, Peter Sellers, Terry Nation,  Dennis Spooner and other scriptwriters ran Associated London Scripts (ALS) and between 1962-1979 worked on famous TV, radio and theatre scripts, including iconic hits The Goon Show, Hancock’s Half Hour, Dr Who and the Daleks, Genesis of the Daleks, Steptoe and Son, Thunderbirds and Stingray.

High ceilings

Now the Bayswater townhouse, which is just 100 yards away from Hyde Park, will have a new future as a diplomatic mission for the Government of Kosovo. The ground and first floors have a series of large rooms, with high ceilings and tall windows, providing the ideal venue for diplomatic meetings and receptions.

The upper floors, where Spike Milligan had his bedroom and where Terry Nation wrote the 1963 BBC script for Dr Who and The Daleks and Dennis Spooner wrote scripts for Thunderbirds and Stingray will provide more private accommodation and offices for Embassy staff.  

The property was originally co-owned by Spike Milligan and Eric Sykes. During the early 1970s Spike sold his interest in 9 Orme Court to Eric who continued to work in his first floor office up until 2011 before his death in 2012. 9 Orme Court has twin Heritage Foundation Blue Plaques celebrating Spike and Eric’s lives at the property, installed in 2003 and 2013 respectively.

The Embassy of Kosovo in London is led by His Excellency Mr. IIir Kapiti, Ambassador of the Republic of Kosovo to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The Ambassador arrived in London with his family on 31^st December 2021. After two stints in the capital studying for a master’s and an MBA the Ambassador considers London a second home and has always been impressed by its cultural diversity.