A Georgian townhouse at No 13 D’Arblay Street in Soho, London, known most recently for being rented by actor-turned-artist Johnny Depp in 2024, has a rich history dating back nearly three centuries. The property, a Grade II listed building constructed in 1736, has served various roles and accommodated a diverse range of residents, including craftsmen, artists, and small business operators.

The house, originally located on what was then called Portland Street, was built under a lease granted by Elizabeth Bentinck, Duchess of Portland. Its earliest recorded resident was Peter Gespincey, who lived there from 1737 to 1740. Subsequently, the property was home to skilled tradespeople such as upholsterers and tailors, reflecting the area's longstanding association with artisans who serviced affluent clients in nearby districts like Marylebone and Mayfair.

In 1816, Louis Alexander Tessier, believed to be of Huguenot descent, lived at the address with his wife Kezia. Tessier worked as a silversmith and jeweller and later co-founded the firm Griffin & Tessier, Goldsmiths & Jewellers, which operated on South Audley Street. The business evolved into Louis Tessier & Sons and eventually Messrs H and E Tessier, becoming notable suppliers of jewellery and silverware to Queen Victoria and the royal family. An 1856 notice highlighted the delivery of a sophisticated “unpickable and gunpowder-proof” safe to the company, then trading from New Bond Street. The Tessier jewellery business continued in Mayfair until 1875.

Following the departure of the Tessiers, No 13 became the residence of painter Thomas Sheraton (not to be confused with the famed furniture maker), recorded as exhibiting works at the Royal Academy during the 1840s. The house retains many period features such as the original staircase, Georgian panelling—thought to have been salvaged from a ship—moulded cornices, dado rails, and original chimney pieces.

A notable historical detail is a well in the basement, which may have provided vital water during the 1854 cholera outbreak in Soho. This outbreak was famously traced by physician John Snow to a contaminated public water pump on nearby Broad Street (now Broadwick Street), leading to a seminal moment in epidemiology when the pump handle was removed to halt the spread of disease.

Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, census records show the house was frequently shared by multiple families who combined living quarters with their trades. Occupations recorded include tailors, glovemakers, dressmakers, painters, embroiderers, bonnet makers, joiners, school mistresses, cooks, carpenters, a police constable, a nurse, a gas fitter, and a violin maker.

One tragic event linked to the property occurred in 1896, when Frederick William Saunders, an assistant schoolmaster residing there with his family, and his fiancée, Alice Caley, were found dead in an apparent murder-suicide in an Euston hotel. Saunders’ letter suggested they had been subjected to blackmail and chose the act to protect Alice’s reputation.

In 1909, the street was renamed D’Arblay Street in honor of the novelist and diarist Fanny Burney (Madame d’Arblay), who had lived nearby.

Most recently, the house was owned by businessman Pelham Olive, who purchased it from entrepreneur and gay rights campaigner Ivan Massow in 2014. Olive described the property as furnished in a flamboyant style when he acquired it and is now marketing the townhouse for £4.35 million through real estate agencies. Depp’s use of the light-filled, double-vaulted top-floor studio added a contemporary chapter to the building’s diverse artistic and commercial past.