St John's Wood Court is a 1920s era apartment complex in St John's Wood, London which is believed to be the inspiration for Regent's Court in the Poirot short story The Adventure of the Italian Nobleman.
St John's Wood Court was built in 1921, and so, when the short story was written and published in 1923, it "had only recently been built" like Regent's Court. Like it's fictional counterpart, St John's Wood Court is located on St John's Wood Road and near Regent's Park. It has lifts and porters and most notably also had a central kitchen at the top of the building (now converted to more apartments). The complex had apparently been optimised for residents who were coming to terms with the effects of living with fewer servants.[1]
A website devoted to the history of St John's Wood also asserts that Agatha Christie herself moved to some serviced apartments from nearby 5 Northwick Terrace when she discovered that she was pregnant. According to the site, Agatha Christie did not reveal the location of this apartment but it is believed to be St John's Wood Court.[1] It is also believed that Agatha Christie might have written The Italian Nobleman while living here.[2]
