Tuesday, October 6, 1998 Published at 16:25 GMT 17:25 UK
Saved: Coward's room with a view
The inside of Coward's flat, including the stage he built
The flat in Chelsea, where he wrote much of his most famous work from 1930 to 1956, was listed by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport after its American owner feared the adjacent development would ruin the flat.
It has changed little since he left it to live in tax exile.
Owner Maggie Pierce said: "I saw the blue plaque outside the house when my husband bought it, and I always assumed it had been listed.
"So it came as a complete shock when I found out that it wasn't."
Originally a coach house
Arts Minister Alan Howarth, who awarded the house a Grade II listing, said: "This house was the home of a man widely regarded as one of British theatre's most gifted writers and entertainers.
"His alterations to the flat reflect the particular style of English life that his work both celebrates and teases.
"It is also fitting that Sir Noel's home should be listed in time for the centenary of his birth next year."
Coward wrote 50 plays, 25 films and hundreds of songs, poems and stories.
His most famous works include A Room with a View, Private Lives, and A Song at Twilight.
The listing now means that any alterations would require special approval, and the building is likely to be preserved indefinitely.
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