Silvia Lawson Johnston


Silvia Lawson Johnston née Roigt is the founder of the first short term rental agency in London, England, where she has lived since 1959. The daughter of author, journalist and Argentine diplomat Don Honorio Roigt, on moving to Great Britain she married the fine art dealer Arthur Charles St John Lawson Johnston, later Lord Luke.

Early and personal Life

Silvia was born in Buenos Aires. In her early years she emigrated to the United States, where her father was working with the United Nations as a diplomat before his later work as the Argentinian ambassador to Yugoslavia and The Netherlands. She was educated at the International School of Geneva and came to England in 1959 to be married to the Hon Arthur Charles St John Lawson Johnston. They had three children: Rachel, Ian James and Sophie.

Career

Silvia and Arthur divorced in 1970, after which Silvia entered the London residential property market as sales negotiator for Robert Bruce and partners. In 1980 she joined Brian D'Arcy-Clark and Owen Inskip, the founders of Chesterfields Estate Agents in Chelsea. In 1984 Silvia co founded People and Property, a relocation service specializing in the field of international banking. In 1990 she launched A Place Like Home, a letting agency offering international visitors to London the opportunity to short let properties in Knightsbridge, Belgravia, Chelsea and Kensington. Today in excess of forty thousand visitors have used A Place Like Home's services.